


Flashes of the Future

by Kristanella17



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Metahumans, Original Character(s), Possible Character Death, Rewrite, Romance, Visions, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2018-12-26 15:24:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 28,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12061755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kristanella17/pseuds/Kristanella17
Summary: Alex has her own reasons and unique abilities for trying to assist in saving Iris West. Will Team Flash be able to look past their previous betrayals from loved ones to trust a new comer with such an important mission? A rewrite of Team Flash's encounters with Savitar. OCxCisco





	1. Visions

Ever since the STAR Laboratories explosion in Central City, Alexia Barnes has had visions; visions she couldn't control. Sometimes these visions were of herself, sometimes they were of other people, but they were always sporadic. She never knew when they were going to happen, although they did seem to happen more often whenever she made physical contact with someone.

Over the past few months, Alex, as her family and friends called her, began to learn how to control when she wanted to view her visions, and when she wanted them to end. The more she learned, the more she began to understand that these visions weren't just some sense of déjà vu, they were flashes of the future.

Alexia Barnes could accurately predict the future.

It took her by surprise when she shook Detective Joe West's hand that morning at the Central City Police Banquet. Alex's gaze went blank as a glimpse of agonizing heartbreak flashed across the future Joe West's face. He knelt in front of a tombstone. "Iris West," was written in huge letters across the face of the stone.

The vision then skipped ahead to a sight of City Central; buildings on fire, police scattered everywhere. Her brother, the reason she was at the Police Banquet, was lying in a pool of blood on the street. "Where's the Flash?!" another officer shouted in a panic before the vision quickly disappeared.

Alexia gasped as she quickly released Joe's hand. He gave a concerned look before Alex plastered a fake grin across her face and a formal greeting. The two shared their brief introductions before Alex turned away to properly compose herself.

"Hey," Alexia heard from beside her. She looked up to see her brother standing next to her. He gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "I know these things can be a bit overwhelming, so it really means a lot to me that you came. Thanks," he said kindly causing Alex's stomach to clinch. She felt like she was going to be sick.

"Yeah, it's no problem," she forced out with a fake, reassuring grin. Her brother returned the smile before giving her another encouraging pat on the back. Alex then took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She wasn't sure how, but she knew she had to do something to change the future or else she would lose her brother forever.


	2. Meeting Barry Allen

"Excuse me?" Alexia said as she made her way into the forensic lab at the Central City Police Department. She was extremely nervous confronting Barry Allen, but she knew it was the only way she could save her brother.

For the past few days after meeting Joe West, Alex researched everything she could on Iris West. In her findings, she discovered Iris was recently engaged to Barry Allen, creating Alex's next point of interest. There wasn't much she could find surrounding him except for a few articles surrounding his parents, so she decided it was time to go down to the station to meet him.

"Are you Barry Allen?" she asked, although she already knew the answer. Slowly, she made her way over to his desk. He looked up to reveal dark circles underneath his eyes and an apathetic stare.

"How can I help you?" he asked without showing any sign of interest in the girl standing in front of him. If Alex didn't know any better, she would assume Iris was already dead. Despite the empty stare, Alex put on her best smile.

"My name is Alexia Barnes," she introduced herself as she stuck out her hand. Normally, she wouldn't stoop so low as to intentionally invade someone's privacy, but this was different. Before she could further explain the reason for her visit, Barry grabbed her hand.

_The Flash raced towards Iris as fast as he could, but he still didn't make it. Savitar laughed in the background as Flash held his dying fiancé in his arms. Screams filled the air as Alex suddenly felt the urge to cover her ears. The scene changed to a different area as she watched the Flash corner Savitar. "I know who you are," the Flash said furiously. Slowly, Savitar kneeled as his armor began to dismantle._

Alex quickly pulled her hand away as she stared at Barry in disbelief. Unintentionally, she had discovered the identity of The Flash but had pulled away from Barry too quickly to see who was behind the mask of Savitar.

"Uh, are you alright?" Barry asked as he examined Alex's worried face. Those words were enough to snap Alex back into reality.

"Oh, ha, yes. Sorry," she answered a bit bashfully. "I, uh," Alex began, but all her plans before entering the building were now lost thanks to her newly found discovery.

"This is going to sound...really weird," she paused trying to find any sort of reasonable explanation for her presence in his laboratory. She then reached up to nervously rub the back of her neck, hoping to buy her any amount of time to come up with an excuse. Accepting defeat, Alex took a deep breath before confessing.

"I know you're The Flash," she said quickly.


	3. Revelations

Barry glared at the girl standing in front of him. "What did you say?" he asked, his voice threateningly low. Alex subconsciously took a step back to put distance between the two.

"I, uh, know you're The Flash," she confessed slower this time, but still as nervous. Before she could blink, Barry rushed out from behind his desk to stand directly in front of her. Alex gasped as she looked up at him in amazement.

"How did you find out?" he asked angrily. Alex looked up into his fiery gaze as she tried to find any words to say. Although she expected him to be a bit taken back by her confrontation, she never thought he'd react with anger.

"I...I have powers too," she explained once she found her voice. Barry's face relaxed slightly, but he didn't move from in front of her.

"What kind of powers?" he asked suspiciously causing Alex to take in a deep breath.

"I can see the future," she confessed as she released her breath of courage. "It happens randomly most of the time, but I've been working on it. The visions are much more vivid and clearer when I'm making physical contact with someone. When we shook hands just now...I got a glimpse into your future."

While speaking, Alex took another step backwards. She didn't want to admit it, but she was a bit intimidated by Barry now that she knew he was The Flash. The missing pieces seemed to fall into place. If The Flash couldn't save his fiancé, it would explain his absence in the future, therefore more police casualties in the line of duty. It all made sense now.

"And what did you see?" Barry almost pled, his demeanor doing a complete turnaround. The anger in his eyes was now replaced with hope. Alex gave him a weak smile. She didn't want to reveal anything just yet because she was honestly afraid he would deny her assistance.

"I want to help you save Iris," she said softly, resisting the urge to lift her hand and comfortingly place it on his forearm. Barry took a deep breath before turning away from Alex. He then began to pace the floor as if weighing the pros and cons of the situation. After a few moments to himself, Barry turned to face Alex.

"Meet me outside the entrance to STAR Laboratories in two hours," he requested. Alex nodded.

"I'll be there."


	4. First Meetings

"Explain to me exactly how you think this girl can help us," Iris requested curiously. Barry felt like he needed to explain to the rest of the team why he would be bringing a stranger into their safe haven.

"I'm not entirely sure. She said she could see into the future, and we've already exhausted every given option so what else do we have to lose?" he encouraged as he looked around at his hesitant friends. "She'll be meeting us here any minute now."

"She can see into the future?" Cisco spoke up from behind the control center, "so like, she can vibe?" he asked with raised eyebrows and a hopeful smile across his lips.

Barry shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno, man. I didn't talk to her long."

"What did you say her name was again?" Joe West asked as he stepped forward, closer to his daughter.

"Alexis...Alexia...Alex...something like that. I can't really remember. I was too caught up in her knowing I was The Flash," Barry admitted shamefully.

"Guys!" Cisco called out to get everyone's attention, "she's here."

* * *

 

Alex cautiously made her way to the abandoned lab. She felt a little nauseous about being at ground zero of a particle accelerator explosion, but if this was the place where Barry felt comfortable meeting then she was willing to give it a try.

She didn't wait long until Barry made his way out of the building. He didn't say anything, but gave her a headnod indicating for her to follow him. Barry slowly led her through the building into a giant room filled with all sorts of working lab equipment and a group of people.

Alex smiled weakly as she recognized Joe West in the room. At least there was one familiar face, but he stared at her as if trying to remember where he had seen her before.

"You," he said before anyone else spoke. "You're a family member of one of my officers," he noted causing Alex's smile to grow.

"I am," she nodded, "and it's actually the reason I'm here," she began, hoping the rest of the room would be willing to listen to what she had to say.

"What do you mean?" the young woman standing next to Joe asked. Alex recognized her as Iris West, Joe's daughter.

Alex took a deep breath to calm her nerves before she spoke.

"The other day, I met Joe at the police banquet. When we shook hands, I didn't mean for it to happen, but I got a glimpse into his future..." she trailed off thinking back to Joe's heartbreak. She paused looking for the right words before she began again, "It wasn't a happy one," she admitted quietly.

"Ok, but what does that have to do with you?" Joe asked suspiciously. Alex nodded weakly, understanding they needed more information.

"In the future, without Iris West there is no Flash. Without The Flash, it leaves Central City vulnerable to other metas; metas who want to harm people. If there's no one to protect the city then the officers are the ones who have to face the dangerous metas by themselves."

Emotion started to creep up in Alex's voice. She tried hard to fight back tears as images of her brother lying in a pool of his own blood flashed back into her mind.

"And your family member gets caught in the crossfire," the guy sitting behind the desk finished for her. Alex nodded, silently thanking the guy for offering her the words she couldn't find.


	5. Doubtful Allies

The room remained silent for a moment before Barry spoke up. "How did you know to visit me? Did you already know I was The Flash?" he asked, his tone a bit softer than before.

Alex let out a small laugh. "No," she smiled, "Once I saw Iris's name...I researched her and found that you two were recently engaged, so you were the next step into my investigation. I was telling the truth earlier. When I shook your hand, that's when I discovered you were The Flash."

"Ok, so like," the guy behind the desk started as he stood up to walk over to Alex, "how exactly do your powers work? Can you see the future all the time or just when touching someone?" he asked a bit too enthusiastically.

Startled by the questioning, Alex froze in thought. She had never openly discussed her powers in depth before, and the thought of it made her somewhat nervous.

"You know, if you feel more comfortable discussing this over coffee we could do that. I'm Cisco, by the way," he finished smoothly with a grin and an extended hand. Alex heard a few annoyed groans from the people behind him.

Recovering quickly, Alex let out a small chuckle and returned his smile, "Alexia. Call me 'Alex,'" she introduced before looking down at his extended hand. Her smile disappeared, "I'm not so sure you want me to do that," she quietly said before looking back up at him. Cisco's smile remained on his face.

"Oh, I do," he encouraged with a nod causing Alex to smile once more. She then proceeded to lift her hand and place it into his.

_"I wish I had never gotten these stupid powers," Alex said bitterly as she angrily looked down at her hands. Her and Cisco were sitting next to each other on the floor of her apartment balcony which overlooked the city._

_"I know it can be difficult, but they aren't a bad thing, Alex," he replied as he laid his hand comfortingly on her forearm. "Maybe I can help you learn to better control them," he offered. Alex could feel his thumb lightly running back and forth across her arm. Her gaze focused on his hand as a small smile crept across her face._

_"You'd do that?" she asked softly; their faces only inches apart._

Alex's face grew pink as she pulled her hand away and avoided Cisco's stare. It wasn't uncommon to see herself in someone's future, but this particular situation was new for her. She had never seen herself in a vision where she looked so comfortable with another person; especially someone she had just met.

To Alex's surprise, Cisco didn't say anything once their hands parted. His silence caused her to hesitantly look up at him. The smile on his face had faded, and he now looked at her with a slight hint of sympathy.

"What?" she asked with furrowed brows, hoping her facial expression didn't give any sort of hint to what she saw in her vision. He shook his head.

"It's nothing," he brushed off quickly. "So, how do you think you can help us save Iris?"

Alex eyed Cisco suspiciously due to the sudden change in his behavior before looking round the room at the rest of the group. All eyes were on her.

"The things I see are visions of the future, but my visions are subject to change. Every given moment we're faced with choices, and each choice leads to the outcome of our future. Whatever you're doing  _right now_  is leading to the path of Iris's death," Alex's voice grew quiet as she spoke. "But that was before I showed up. I'm hoping by using my powers to help you it can help alter the future so Iris can be saved," she finished optimistically.

The room was silent once more as the group of friends made eye contact with one another as if debating on what they should say next. Alex could feel her heart rate increasing with each moment that passed.

"We want your help," Barry was the first to speak. Alex suddenly felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. She was one step closer to saving her brother.

"As much as I want to believe you have the best of intentions," Iris began, her eyes locked onto Alex, "how do we know we can trust her?" she finished as she turned back to Barry and Joe.

It felt like Alex had just been punched in the chest. She never fathomed the idea of Iris being the one to reject her assistance.

"We can trust her," Cisco spoke up confidently as he made his way to stand next to Alex. She looked up at him with a thankful smile.


	6. Caffeine Sounds Good

" _We can trust her_ ," Cisco repeated in a firmer and slower tone. Alex looked up to see Cisco giving a head nod of approval to the rest of the group.

"Cisco," Joe pled as if he was asking for a favor. Alex's brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to figure out Joe's request. Every passing second of silence made Alex feel more uncomfortable about her presence in the room. With one last sigh, she decided to speak up.

"Listen," Alex began, feeling a bit annoyed with the whole situation, "I came here to help you, but I'm not going to beg for your acceptance. As much as I want to save Iris, I could be putting my time and effort into just saving my brother. So if you're going to sit here and contemplate my trustworthiness then I'm going to excuse myself," she finished firmly as she turned to leave the room.

* * *

"Guys, I'm telling you, she isn't lying to us," Cisco insisted as he began to take a step towards following Alex. There still remained a feeling of uncertainty in the room.

"And how do you know, Cisco? Can you guarantee that we can trust her?" Iris asked softly. Although she seemed to be the most hesitant in the room, she wanted to believe the newcomer had good intentions.

"I vibed her when we shook hands. Her brother is all she has left, so why would she lie about this?"

Cisco didn't mean to see everything he did when he vibed Alex. All he really wanted to know was if she was trustworthy or not, but instead he witnessed the passing of her parents. He could see her brother was now the only family she had left in the city, and he could tell they were not only siblings but good friends as well.

Barry shrugged his shoulders, "A lot is on the line right now," he said as he walked over to his friend. "Why don't you go talk to her a little more then if you give your final seal of approval we'll trust her. I'm sorry, man, but I just got to be sure," Barry said, wearing a regretful look upon his face.

Cisco nodded in understanding before quickly exiting the lab.

* * *

"Hey!" Alex heard from behind her. She was already off STAR Labs's property when she heard someone calling after her. Turning around, Alex found Cisco chasing after her. She stopped walking as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath hoping to relieve some frustration before he reached her.

As much as she wanted to deny it, it hurt being rejected by Barry and his friends. She only wanted to help, but if this is what they wanted then Alex would leave it alone.

She was on her way back to her apartment when Cisco caught up to her.

"You don't have to come make an excuse for them. I know it's hard to trust a stranger with such an important task, so I'm gonna leave it up to y'all," Alex said a slight shrug of her shoulders. She then gave him a sad smile as she turned to walk away once more.

"Wait," he said hurriedly as he matched her stride. "That's not why I'm here," he said, causing Alex to still.

"Then why  _are_  you here?" she asked as she placed her hands in her pockets. Cisco stared at her as if searching for the right words.

"Wanna grab some coffee?" he asked causing Alex to tilt her head to the side in disbelief. Of all the things he could have said, he asked her out for coffee. She gave him a reluctant look, but he spoke again before she could answer.

"It might be easier to discuss some things with a little caffeine in our system," he quickly encouraged, this time with a bright smile. Surprisingly, Alex let out a soft laugh.

"Caffeine sounds pretty good right about now."


	7. Seeing Double

"So," Alex began as the two sat at a secluded table with their coffee cups in front of them. "Is there a reason you decided to follow me out of STAR Labs?" she asked curiously as she fiddled with her cup. The frustration she felt earlier had slightly subsided on their way to Jitters.

"We want your help to save Iris," Cisco said leaning in a bit closer so he could talk in a quieter tone. Alex let out a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, it  _really_  sounded like she wanted my help," she replied sarcastically.

"Everyone's a bit reluctant, but it's just because they're just scared. In the past, we've been let down by people we've trusted," Cisco explained. As he spoke, Alex could almost hear the heartbreak in his voice. "People we loved and admired betrayed us," he continued as he too began to run his fingers over his cup of coffee.

"Then why are you so willing to trust me when the others aren't?" Alex quickly countered. She wasn't trying to be rude, but her question came off a bit harsher than she intended.

Cisco's lips formed a small smirk. Leaning in even closer, he rested his fingers lightly on top of Alex's.

_"Cisco, please don't go! If this doesn't work you could die!" Alex pled desperately as she grabbed hold of his forearms to stop him from leaving. He stared down at her with a look of hopelessness._

_"And if I don't try she'll come for you," he whispered before lifting his hand to caress her cheek._

Alex quickly pulled back both of her hands into her lap, her gaze following. She took a second to compose herself before looking back up at Cisco. He was staring directly at her.

"You're not the only one with visions," he said, his smirk growing into a grin. Alex stared at him in total confusion. It was always hard coming back to the present after seeing an emotional vision, and she had absolutely no idea what was going on in it, but she had to brush it off for the moment.

"You...you have visions too?" she asked in shock. Her heart sank a little. If Cisco had visions too then The Flash wouldn't need her, and if there was nothing she could do to help then was it even possible to save her brother?

"Yeah, but from what you've told me it sounds like ours vary slightly. I was wondering if you could tell me about them?" Cisco asked. His grin had faded and he was now looking at her with undivided attention.

"If I tell you about mine, will you tell me about yours?" she asked hesitantly. Although he admitted to having similar powers, Alex was still nervous to talk about her visions. Ever since they started, she feared if she shared them with the wrong person they would think her crazy.

"Deal," Cisco replied, giving her a charming smile in the process. Alex took a deep breath before she began to explain how the everything started.

"At first they were like brief daydreams; clips flashing before my eyes whenever I talked to someone," she explained, lowering her gaze to her coffee mug.

"Then the dreams started. I would have the  _most intense_  dreams like I was actually experiencing everything as it happened. Then came the physical interaction with people. The slightest touch of someone...this sounds insane doesn't it?" she asked worriedly as she looked back up at him.

"No, no," Cisco rushed, fearing Alex might give up and leave any minute. "Please, keep going," he encouraged.

"Physical contact with someone is when the visions are the strongest. I can almost feel what the person is feeling. Like Joe, for instance, during his vision I could practically feel his heartbreak...it was one of the worst experiences I've ever encountered during a vision." Alex closed her eyes as she tried to push that memory away.

"What about with me? What did you see?" Cisco asked playfully, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. Alex looked up at him to find him smiling at her, and she couldn't fight the small laugh that escaped her lips.

"No," she grinned, shaking her head. Cisco scoffed as he dramatically lifted his hand to his heart as if he were offended.

"And why not?" he asked. Her cheeks began to flush as she thought back to what she saw when they first shook hands.

"Because you still haven't told me about your powers," she countered with a smirk causing Cisco to laugh.

"Touché," Cisco conceded as he sat back in his chair feeling a bit more comfortable.

It was now Alex's turn to lean in closer as she listened to Cisco explain how his powers worked. She wouldn't admit it, but she was a bit jealous of his other abilities besides the visions. She then found herself wondering if maybe she, too, had other talents that she had yet to uncover.


	8. Chapter 8

As the two continued their conversation, Alex found Cisco surprisingly easy to talk to.

"So, now that everything is out in the open between us, you wanna tell me what you saw when we first met? Because I _know_ you saw something," Cisco teased as he lifted his second cup of coffee up to his lips and pointing an accusatory finger in her direction.

"I'm not telling you," she laughed out before also taking a sip of her drink. "Besides, how do you know I saw anything at all?" she countered with a confident smirk, placing her cup back down.

"Oh, please. I know the look. Plus, when you came back you barely looked me in the eye," he noted. Alex thought back to the previous interaction.

"Ok, well...your whole demeanor changed after we shook hands. Did you...what do you call it...vibe?" she asked trying to recall the information he had told her about his powers. Cisco sat up straighter as his playful smile fell.

"Yeah, I did," he confessed. Alex's smile dropped as well. What could have Cisco seen to make his playful personality change so quickly?

"And?" she asked, hoping he would tell her as she nervously fiddled with her coffee cup.

"At first I was just trying to see if you were trustworthy, but it got a little personal," he replied quietly.

Alex's eyebrows furrowed, but as soon as the anger surfaced she forced herself to let it go. Cisco didn't do anything that she hadn't done to Barry, so she had no right to be upset. He was only protecting his friends.

"What did you see?" she asked quietly. It felt weird asking someone else what they saw in her life. Cisco gave her a sad smile.

"I saw your parents, and your brother," he replied softly. Alex's breath caught in her throat.

Of all the things he could've seen, she wondered why her most painful memory had to be the one. She remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again.

"And now you want me to tell you more personal details about us in your future?" she asked just as softly as before.

"Oh, so  _you were_  included in my future then?" Cisco asked with a raised eyebrow as his smile returned. Alex laughed, thankful for not having to discuss the loss of her parents. Cisco continued to smile at her as he waited for her answer.

"Ok, ok," Alex began, "I was in your future but what I saw could've been just days from now. Anyway, I don't really like talking about people's futures with them...especially if I'm involved," she explained, hoping they could drop the topic.

"Why is that?" Cisco could tell Alex was uncomfortable, but he just wanted to know her a bit better.

Alex shrugged as she looked away.

"Imagine every time you meet someone the first thing you see when you shake their hand is how your relationship with them will end. The friendship, relationship, whatever you want it to be is dead before it even begins," she explained, not bothering to hide the sadness in her voice.

Cisco leaned in closer to Alex causing her to look up at him, "And did you see how we would end?" he asked. For some reason, he felt like he already knew the answer.

A smile slowly appeared on Alex's face, "Wouldn't you like to know?" she teased causing Cisco to let out a frustrated groan.


	9. Walking Home

Alex and Cisco spent the rest of the afternoon talking at the coffee shop. The conversation between the two came easy, progressing from talking about their powers to discussing their personal lives as they grew to know each other a bit better.

"It's getting pretty late," Alex said, looking down at the time on her phone, "I should probably get going." Reluctantly, they stood from their table.

"I should be heading back too," Cisco agreed, "care for some company on your walk home?" he offered as the two made their way out of Jitters. Alex gave him a kind smile at the polite offer.

"I couldn't ask you to do that," she replied. The sun had begun to set in the distance, and although Alex didn't mind walking home alone, she told herself if he were to offer again then she would accept his offer. Sure enough, Cisco insisted he escort her home.

Slowly, the two made their way towards Alex's apartment complex which wasn't located too far from the coffee shop. "Thanks for the company, Cisco," Alex said, giving his arm a playful shove with her shoulder as they reached the entrance to her building. Cisco chuckled in reply, turning to face her.

"You stopping by the lab tomorrow?" he asked, the smile slowly fading from his face. Alex's lips pursed in thought.

"I dunno. Should I?" she asked, truly worried about showing up to a place where she clearly wasn't wanted. Alex appreciated the fact that Cisco took the time to get to know her, but just because he now trusted her didn't exactly mean the rest of the group would.

"Of course you should," Cisco replied passionately, almost as if he was offended by her question. "The worst that can happen is if you don't get a vision, and hey, at least we gave it a shot," he explained, a small smile returning to his face. Alex nodded in thought forcing a tight grin to give him in return.

"I guess," she reluctantly agreed, "but you'll vouch for me right?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully. Cisco laughed before answering.

"Definitely," he replied with a headnod before sticking out his hand to her. "I'll see you tomorrow," he smirked, hoping she would fall into his trap. Alex glared playfully at his extended hand. She knew exactly what he was trying to do, and normally she wouldn't give in, but this time the curiosity got the best of her causing her to grab ahold his hand.

" _Thank you so much, Cisco!" Alex exclaimed before wrapping her arms around his neck. Cisco, in return, wrapped his hands around her lower waist, pulling her a bit closer into him. Alex could feel as one of his hands traveled up her back as they hugged. She then slightly pulled away to look up into his eyes, letting one of her hands slide to the crook of his neck._

" _Thank you," she whispered again as their eyes locked and their faces slowly began to inching closer together. Cisco's gaze momentarily lowered to her lips before looking back up into her eyes. Without a second thought, Alex pressed her lips against his._

Alex quickly pulled her hand out of Cisco's, her face burning scarlet red from the vision she just witnessed. The blush only worsened when Cisco filled the gap between them, wearing a knowing grin on his face.

"You wanna tell me what you just saw, involving me might I add, that has you so flustered right now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Alex quickly looked down to avoid his gaze, trying to hide her embarrassed smile as she composed herself. With a deep breath, Alex forced herself to look back up at the guy standing directly in front of her.

"No, I think I'd rather it be a surprise for you," she teased before leaning up and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Cisco raised his eyebrows in surprise causing Alex to laugh as she pulled away.

"See ya tomorrow, Cisco," she called out with a small wave, making her way into the apartment complex for the night leaving Cisco standing there with a confident grin across his face.

 


	10. Death

The next day, Alex nervously made her way back to STAR Labs. She walked into the main lab to find everyone preoccupied with their own tasks. "Uh, hi," she called out awkwardly causing everyone to drop what they were doing and look up at her.

"Alex," Cisco greeted with a bright smile, making his way over to her from his computer desk.

"How exactly did you get in here?" Joe asked suspiciously. Alex furrowed her brows in confusion.

"There were no locks, no security, nothing," she explained before looking up to Cisco who was now standing next to her, "Is that normal? Shouldn't y'all at least lock the doors or something?" she asked, concerned by the fact that a stranger could possibly wander into the homebase of Team Flash.

"Ah, I'll work on that later," Cisco said, quickly brushing off her concern before placing one of his hands around her shoulders and leading her to the middle of the main lab. "For now, let's focus on you, shall we?" he asked, his cheerful tone providing Alex with a small ounce of comfort.

"How exactly does this work?" Iris asked as the rest of the group gathered around Alex. She inhaled deeply before answering.

"I'm not entirely sure," Alex confessed. Iris narrowed her eyes in doubt at Alex's insecure demeanor. "I can't control what I'll see, but the last time I had a vision involving Barry, he was in his Flash suit and Savitar, I believe that's his name, was about to step out of his armor," she informed. The group stared at her in shock.

"You actually saw Savitar?" Barry asked in disbelief. Alex nodded.

"I saw everything except for his identity. Maybe today I can get a longer glimpse," she offered hopefully. Barry instantly offered Alex his hand.

"Let's get to it," he replied, a look of determination written across his face. Alex took a deep breath before latching her hand onto Barry's.

" _Please, don't!" Barry shouted, dread lining his words. "Don't do this," he continued, his voice becoming softer as he pled for Iris's life. Alex could feel the anxiousness of the situation. Her heartbeat began to race as her throat tightened. She could literally feel Barry's fear. Savitar held a tearful Iris up in the air from the back of her sweater._

" _Now, finally I am free of you," the menacing voice of Savitar echoed as he began to lift Iris higher into the air, lifting his free hand closer to her body._

" _Barry, I love you," Iris confessed as the tears began to freely fall down her face. Alex's heart clenched as tears of her own began to surface._

" _No, don't say that," Barry said hurriedly before continuing to plead with Savitar. Without a second thought, Savitar formed a metal spear from his armored hand._

_Alex's ears rang from the heartbreaking sound of Barry's scream. In less than a blink of an eye, Savitar drove his spear-like hand through Iris's chest before disappearing like he had never been there at all._

_Iris fell into Barry's arms and he instantly started begging for her to open her eyes._

Alex pulled away from Barry's hand with a gasp, instantly covering her mouth as she tried to stop herself from breaking down into sobs. Everyone in the room stared at her in concern.

"You saw it didn't you? You saw my death," Iris whispered. Looking up at Iris pushed Alex over the edge.

"Excuse me," Alex managed to choke out before rushing out of the lab and into the hall so she could let her tears fall freely. She leaned her back against the wall before sliding down and pulling her knees to her chest so she could bury her face and let out all the emotions she was feeling.

After a few minutes of sobbing into her knees, Alex felt a light touch on her shoulder. Startled, she quickly looked up to find Cisco next to her. Not wanting to pressure her into talking before she was ready, Cisco remained silent as he made himself comfortable against the wall as well. Alex looked back down at her knees, wanting to hide her tearstained face as she composed herself. After a few deep breaths she managed to look up at Cisco.

"I saw it," Alex confessed in the tiniest of whispers. " _I felt it_ ," she continued, her voice cracking from emotion.

"You felt what?" Cisco asked, his voice soft and full of concern as he looked down at her.

"I felt Barry's emotions; his fear, his desperation...his heartbreak," Alex said as a new wave of tears tried to surface. Cisco looked down at his feet, unsure of what to say at the moment. Silently, Alex leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. At that moment, she needed to feel someone. She needed to know someone was there with her and that she wasn't alone, and she was thankful Cisco was that person.

The two sat in silence, Alex forcing herself into a steady breathing once more despite still feeling the unnerving emotions from her vision with Barry.

"I should go talk to them," she reluctantly whispered as she lifted her head off Cisco's shoulder. He gently placed his hand on her upper arm.

"You don't have to if you're not ready yet," he replied sincerely. Alex gave him a grateful smile.

"I'm ok," she reassured. Cisco nodded before standing and offering her his hand. Alex hesitated as she stared at his hand, scared touching him would set off another round of visions. Deciding that nothing could be worse than what she had just encountered, she graciously accepted his offer as he pulled her up from the floor; thankfully without any glimpses into his future.


	11. Chapter 11

As Alex walked back into the lab with Cisco, the small chattering between Iris, Barry, and Joe immediately stopped. The room remained silent until Alex cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry," she began, making her way over to them, "I've never had that happen before," she admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed by her emotional display. Barry shook his head.

"It's ok, you have nothing to be ashamed of," he began kindly, pausing for a brief moment as if contemplating his next question, "Would you be up for trying again?"

The idea of seeing Iris die again immediately caused a lump to form in Alex's throat. A vision never had such a haunting effect on her; not even Joe's vision of her brother's death affected her so traumatically. Before she could answer, Alex felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder. She looked up at Cisco who was standing directly next to her.

"You don't have to right now. Not if you aren't ready," Cisco countered, receiving a concerning look from Barry. Alex lifted her hand to her shoulder where Cisco's hand rested. She gave his hand a pat of reassurance before letting her fingers lightly trail across his, lingering a few seconds longer than needed.

"I can do it. This is what I'm here for," Alex answered. Although she was answering Barry, it felt like she was really just trying to talk herself into giving it another go. Barry smiled thankfully at Alex before she turned to look at Cisco. He gave her a small headnod as he took a step back to give her some space to work.

Barry stuck out his hand, but Alex hesitated. She stared blankly at Barry's hand for a moment, her fear incapacitating her.

"Hey," Cisco called quietly, "we're right here with you," he whispered. Alex nodded to let Cisco know she heard him while keeping her eyes locked on Barry's hand. With one deep breath, Alex forced herself to reach out for Barry.

* * *

"No!" Alex cried out in despair as she released Barry's hand once again. She instantly covered her face with her hands, letting them travel upwards into her hair in frustration. Forcing her eyes to remain shut, Alex tried to focus solely on her breathing hoping that would somehow assist in recovering from the traumatic images she had just witnessed once again.

"Was it the same vision?" Joe asked softly, feeling a deep sympathy for the young woman who was trying to save his daughter. Alex inhaled deeply before letting her hands fall back to her sides. She only nodded in reply before looking back up at Barry.

"Again," she said darkly. She wouldn't allow herself to fall apart again. The agony and despair from Barry's vision began to fade as Alex thought back to the image of her lifeless brother lying in a street. Anger quickly became the only emotion she could feel.

"Alex, you don't-" Cisco began in a soft tone only to be cut off by Alex lifting her hand to quiet him.

"I need to do this, Cisco," she replied with determination before grabbing hold of Barry's hand once more.

* * *

The afternoon continued on with Alex seeing the same vision over and over again.

"Is there something else we could factor into the situation? Maybe try changing the hand you two are connecting?" Iris thought aloud. The whole group was becoming more and more frustrated with each failed attempt, but no one more than Alex.

"It doesn't work that way," Alex said through gritted teeth.

"Really? Because I don't think you know how it works at all," Iris snapped as she took a step towards Alex, the two girls now standing face to face. Cisco quickly intervened, putting himself between them.

"Ladies," he began calmly as he held up his hands in a defensive manner, "perhaps we should take a break for a bit before this turns into female fight club." Alex glared up at him only to receive a bright, teeth baring smile in return. She couldn't help the small tug at the corner of her lips as her anger diminished.

"Fine, but I'd like to try once more and if it doesn't work then we'll take the break," Alex agreed, looking over Cisco's shoulder at Iris and Barry. The couple exchanged a silent headnod in agreement.

Alex steadied herself before taking Barry's hand again.

_"Please, don't!" Barry shouted. "Don't do this."_

_"Now, finally I am free of you," the menacing voice of Savitar echoed. This time was different. Alex froze as she watched in horror. Instead of lifting Iris into the air, Savitar turned his head in Alex's direction. It felt like her heart had stopped, along with everything else that surrounded her in the setting._

_Savitar made his way over to Alex in the blink of an eye. He proceeded to grab her by the throat, his metal claw-like fingers wrapping around her neck, lifting her up to his face._

_"I found you, Seer. You think you can stop a god by using parlor tricks?" he demanded. Alex's hands immediately clutched at his as she tried to pry herself free. Her attempts to escape caused him to laugh in her face._

_"Don't worry. I'll see you soon."_


	12. Chapter 12

"Alex! Alex!" Cisco shouted as he roughly shook her shoulder hoping to wake her from the trance. Alex returned from the vision to find the hand of hers that wasn't connected to Barry's was now clutching her neck as she gasped for breath. Once regaining full awareness, she quickly pulled both hands to her waist looking down at them in a fearful disbelief.

"What the hell was that?" Joe asked. The intensity of his words forced Alex to look back up at the worried people who surrounded her. She remained silent, her mind racing as she tried to find the right words to describe what had just happened.

"I think we should take that break," she whispered. Although Alex knew time was a factor, she needed a few hours to process everything. How did Savitar see her? How was he able to touch her?

The group shared silent glances as Alex gathered her things and rushed out of STAR Labs for the evening.

As they all divided back up into their individualized tasks, Barry made his way over to Cisco.

"Hey man," Barry said with a light pat on Cisco's shoulder, taking a seat next to him at the control desk. Cisco looked over at Barry, forcing a weak smile.

"Oh hey," Cisco replied, turning in his chair to face Barry. "What's up?" he asked, a clear lack of interest lining his voice.

"Why don't you go see her before heading home tonight? I can tell you're worried; we all are," Barry said, leaning forward in his chair to prop his elbows on the tops of his knees.

"I don't want to scare her off," Cisco confessed, shaking his head slightly as he spoke. Barry grinned in response.

"I think of all people, you are the person she would want to see right now," he encouraged before standing and walking back over to Iris.

* * *

Alex sat out on her balcony later that night, contemplating the day's earlier events when she heard a knock at the front door. Although mentally and physically exhausted, she decided to answer it. Opening the door, Alex found Cisco standing in the hallway wearing a grin across his lips.

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested," Alex teased with a playful smirk, crossing her arms across her chest and leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh really?" Cisco replied confidently as he held up two cups of coffee from Jitters. "Then I'll just have to take this extra coffee elsewhere," he said nonchalantly as he turned his back to her, pretending to leave. Alex couldn't fight the laugh that escaped her lips.

"You win, come back!" she chuckled while reaching out to take the extra cup, purposefully letting her fingertips graze over his.

"I'm glad you're here," she began, nodding for him to follow along out to the balcony, "I was sitting out here trying to clear my head," she confessed.

The two took a seat next to each other on the simple bench that decorated the outside space.

"Thanks for the coffee," Alex said, her tone becoming a bit more serious as the they stared out at the city lights. She glanced up at Cisco out of the corner of her eye, admiring how the lights lit up his face.

"I figured it was the least I could do after the day at the lab," he replied as he shifted to face her. Alex turned her attention back to the lights in the distance.

"Is that why you're here? To figure out why I left so abruptly?" she asked numbly, trying to hide the hurt she felt all of a sudden. Cisco's brows furrowed in frustration.

"I came here because I was worried about you, Alex," he replied. Alex instantly felt guilty when she heard how insulted Cisco sounded by her accusation. She looked down at her hands in shame and nodded in response.

The two sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Alex finally spoke.

"I want to tell you what I saw," she whispered out, her eyes still focusing on her hands. Cisco reached out and placed one of his hands atop hers. Alex slowly looked up to find him staring at her.

"What happened?" Cisco's voice was soft and full of concern. Alex took the opportunity to turn her hand upward, so their hands were now palm to palm, before interlacing her fingers with his. She was thankful no vision flashed before her eyes.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Alex inhaled deeply, trying to find the strength to confess what had happened during her vision earlier that day. She was a bit hesitant to speak, knowing once she admitted it aloud then there would be no more ignoring the situation.

"Savitar...he saw me," Alex whispered, tightening her grip on Cisco's hand for some sort of support. She closed her eyes to avoid his gaze as she felt him turn to face her, not releasing her hand in the process.

"What do you mean he saw you? How is that even possible?" Cisco asked worriedly. Alex shook her head in reply before opening her eyes to look up at him. His eyes were so intensely focused on her she immediately regretted making eye contact.

"That's not all. He spoke to me... _he touched me_ ," Alex began, "Right before he was about to kill Iris, he paused. Then he looked right at me, and before I knew it he was standing in front of me. He grabbed me by my throat-"

"That's why you were grabbing at your neck," Cisco said in realization. Alex nodded before continuing.

"He said he would see me soon," Alex whispered, hoping to keep her voice from quivering with fear. She could feel Cisco's thumb lightly running back and forth across the back of her hand as he sat in silent thought.

"Did he say anything else?" Cisco asked, hoping to find some sort of clue as to whom they were dealing with. Alex subconsciously bit her lip as she thought.

"He referred to my power as parlor tricks. And he didn't call me by my name; I think he called me 'Seer,'" she replied. To her surprise Cisco scoffed.

"He could've put a little more thought into the name," he mumbled judgmentally causing Alex to look up at him in surprise. "Right, right...priorities," he corrected with a sheepish grin. Alex couldn't help but return the smile, grateful for a little comedic relief.

"I don't know what to do, Cisco," she sighed, feeling a bit relieved to finally discuss the situation. Cisco thought for a minute before releasing Alex's hand and holding up his now free palm open to her.

"First thing you're gonna do is give me your phone," he said. Alex furrowed her brows in confusion as she reluctantly pulled her phone from her pocket and placed it in Cisco's hand.

"Do you have a laptop I could borrow?" he asked as he stood and walked back into the apartment with Alex following close behind. He looked like a man on a mission with determination written across his face, so she didn't question his request.

"Uh, yeah, it's over there on my desk," she replied, pointing towards the small desk in the corner of her livingroom. Cisco made himself at home as he pulled up a chair to the desk and plugged her phone up to the laptop. Without another word, he began installing some sort of program on her laptop before uploading the software into her phone. Alex intently watched him work from over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously when Cisco picked up her phone to open the newly installed software.

"This," he began as he lifted her phone to show her exactly what he was doing, "is the metahuman app we use. If you're ever in any distress, all you gotta do is press this button, and it'll send your location to the rest of the group," Cisco explained. Realizing Alex was still leaning down to watch, Cisco unplugged her phone and stood so she could get a better look at the program. He also took notice when Alex leaned in closer to him as he demonstrated all the functions of the app. When he was done, Cisco looked up at her to find their faces only inches apart.

"Any questions?" he asked softly, quickly taking a glance down at her lips before looking back up to her eyes. Alex slightly shook her head in reply.

The two stared at each other briefly before Cisco slowly began to lean down, bringing his lips closer to hers. Alex, in return, faintly lifted her chin. Their lips met in a feather light touch for a split second before there was a loud knocking at the front door. With a startled gasp, Alex quickly pulled away causing Cisco to turn his back to her, hiding his disappointment by biting his bottom lip and clenching his fist.

Alex looked through the peephole before opening the door with a sigh. "May I help you?" she asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance. A male's voice caught Cisco's attention as he turned back around.

"Way to make me feel wanted," the guy said as he brushed past Alex into the apartment. Cisco felt a hint of relief when he recognized the guy as Alex's brother. Her brother stopped in his tracks when he saw Cisco standing next to Alex's desk.

"Uh, Andrew, this is Cisco. Cisco, this is my brother, Andrew," Alex said, shutting her door and making her way over to the two guys. Andrew gave his sister a knowing look before turning back to Cisco.

"Hey, man," Andrew said, extending his arm for a handshake. Cisco reciprocated. "And just how do you two know each other?" Andrew asked, still holding Cisco's hand in his grip. Alex rolled her eyes before giving her brother a light tap on his shoulder with the back of her hand.

"Stop," she scolded, feeling sorry for the terrified looking Cisco. Andrew laughed in response.

"I'm just messing with you," he told Cisco as he let go of his hand. Cisco nervously laughed.

"Ha, ha, good one," Cisco said with a forced grin before turning back to Alex, "I should probably be going," he rushed. Alex chuckled at how nervous her brother seemed to make him.

"I'll walk you out," she replied as the two walked the few feet to her door. Deciding on some privacy, Alex stepped into the hallway to tell Cisco goodbye.

"Thank you for coming over. If it hadn't been for you, I would have sat around all night dwelling on what happened earlier today at the lab," she confessed softly. Cisco gave her a true smile in return.

"Anytime," he replied before beginning to fiddle nervously with his fingers, "and about what happened in there before your brother showed up. If you want to pretend like it never-"

"And why would I want to do that?" Alex quickly interrupted. "I was actually thinking we should give it another try," she proposed, taking a step towards him to fill the gap between them. Cisco narrowed his eyes in disbelief, staring down at her as the corner of his lips began to tug upwards.

Without another word, Cisco lifted his hand to place on Alex's cheek as she tilted her face upwards to meet his lips in a soft, gentle kiss. It only last a few seconds before the two pulled apart, both wearing grins across their faces.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Alex said, still wearing her smile before reluctantly making her way back into her apartment.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning, Alex made her way into STAR Labs to find it eerily quiet.  Walking into the main lab, she noticed Iris sitting alone behind one of the consoles.

“Hey,” Alex called out awkwardly as she stood in the doorway, unsure if she should leave or not.

“Oh, hey,” Iris replied, looking up from one of the monitors.  “The guys just went out to grab some coffee.  They should be back soon,” she said.  Alex nodded in response.

The two girls remained in an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds before Iris stood from her chair and made her way over to Alex.

“I think we should talk,” Iris began as she nervously fiddled with her fingers.  Alex nodded once more.  She could feel the tension between her and Iris, and it was something she desperately wanted to work on.  Ever since their first meeting, Alex felt Iris had the wrong impression of her and she wanted to know why.

“I agree,” Alex said softly.  The girls moved into two computer chairs in front of one of the desks.

“I just want to explain why I’ve been so on edge,” Iris started, “besides everything that’s going on with Savitar, we’ve lost some people recently; people who we trusted...people who we loved.”  Alex nodded along as she listened to Iris express her emotions.

“Cisco mentioned the trust issues; people betraying you,” Alex noted in a quiet voice.  This time Iris nodded.

“But did he mention that only a few days ago we lost one of our closest friends?  Caitlin.  She was an original member of Team Flash, her and Cisco were as close as siblings, and she was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.  Now she’s a meta that goes by the name Killer Frost, and given the chance she’d kill any one of us without a second thought.”

Alex’s breath caught in her throat.  Why had Cisco not told her all this himself?  She thought back to their first real conversation at Jitters, and she remembered the emotion in his voice when he informed her about their former friends, but why didn’t he tell her about Killer Frost?

“What does this have to do with me?  You think I’m going to turn on you?” Alex asked a bit harsher than she intended.

“We’re still healing from the loss of Caitlin.  Maybe I was a bit reluctant with you because I was trying to protect our group,” Iris explained.

“Then what’s changed?” Alex asked in a softer tone as she regained her emotions.  Iris’s facial features relaxed as she leaned forward in her chair.

“Whatever happened to you yesterday.  I can’t explain it, but I could see the fear on your face.   _I know that fear._  You’re now in this with us,” Iris whispered causing Alex to look down as she now fiddled with her fingers.  Her mind ran rapid as she tried to think of something to say.  Alex didn’t know if she should explain to Iris exactly what she saw during her last vision yesterday, or if Cisco had already told them.

Before she could respond, Barry and Cisco entered the lab with coffee cups for everyone.

“Hey, you’re early!” Cisco called out with a grin, making his way over to Alex to hand her a cup of coffee.  While holding out the cup to her, he noticed the somber look upon the girls faces.

“Are we interrupting something?” Cisco asked as his smile faded.  Alex’s lips pursed together as she took her coffee.

“Could we talk for a minute?” she asked him quietly, standing so they were now face to face.  A look of fear quickly washed across his face.

“Uh, yeah, sure.  We can talk in my lab,” Cisco said, uncertainty filling his voice as he held out his hand for Alex to exit the main lab ahead of him.  While Alex walked out first, Cisco quickly turned back to Iris.

“ _What did you do?_ ” he asked dramatically in a panic whisper before quickly following Alex. 

* * *

 

“So what’s up?” Cisco asked, trying his best to sound casual as he leaned against his desk.  Alex wrapped both of her hands around the warm cup of coffee she was holding close to her chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Caitlin?” she asked softly.  

Alex wasn’t entirely sure if Cisco would be upset with her asking such a personal question.  If he wanted her to know about Caitlin, wouldn’t he have told her by now?

Cisco’s lighthearted demeanor quickly fell as his eyes narrowed in confusion for a brief moment.

“Is this what you and Iris were talking about?” he asked before looking down at his desk for some sort of distraction.  His hand managed to find the head of a socket wrench and he began to mindlessly spin it.

“She wanted to explain to me why she was so reluctant to have me around.  I get it, I really do, but,” Alex paused as she tried to gain the courage to ask her question once more, “why didn’t you tell me?”  Cisco let out a sigh before looking up at Alex.

“Caitlin is my best friend, and as much as I love her and want her back, I know for right now she can take care of herself.  Iris on the other hand,” as Cisco spoke his voice grew lower, “if we don’t focus on Iris right now she’ll die.  Once this whole Savitar situation is taken care of, then we can redirect to Caitlin,” he finished firmly, almost as if he were reassuring himself of the plan.

Alex nodded in understanding, lowering her gaze to hide the hurt look written across her face.

She knew it probably shouldn’t bother her as much as it did, but the fact that Cisco kept something so important to him a secret from her really hurt her feelings.

“Hey,” Cisco whispered softly as he reached out to take one of her hands into his.

 

_Alex found herself in a wooded area with snow falling all around._

_“You don’t have to do this, Caitlin,” Cisco called out.  Alex took a step closer to find Cisco standing a few feet directly in front of her.  He was wearing a pair of illuminated glasses as he held his hands at the ready.  Alex could hear a ghostly, taunting laugh in the distance._

_“Oh, but I do, Cisco,” a sultry voice called out, “and the name’s Killer Frost,” she finished through gritted teeth before shooting a huge ice cycle in Cisco’s direction.  Alex gasped as she watched Cisco dodge out of the way behind a tree trunk._

_“I don’t want to hurt you, Caitlin!” Cisco called out.  Alex could hear the footsteps of Killer Frost growing closer to Cisco’s hiding spot.  Without another word from her, Killer Frost shot an ice cycle into the tree trunk almost impaling it completely.  With a deep breath, Cisco stepped out from the tree trunk, his hands held out in front of him._

_“Caitlin, please,” Cisco begged, but Killer Frost didn’t listen.  With one final step, Cisco shot out some sort of sonic vibration from his hands causing Killer Frost to go flying into the ground._

_Cisco rushed to check on his defeated friend, but as he knelt down beside her Killer Frost formed another ice cycle driving it directly into Cisco’s stomach._


	15. Chapter 15

"Alex?" she heard her name called out in the distance causing her to snap back into reality. Alex looked up to find Cisco staring down at her with a look of concern. Although their hands were still joined, Cisco had managed to take Alex's cup of coffee from her other hand and place it on his desk once he realized she was in the process of having a vision.

Alex's eyes widened in fear as she quickly pulled her hand out of Cisco's only to place it against his stomach. Cisco raised his eyebrows in surprise due to her unexpected touch as his gaze lowered to her hand trailing across his midsection.

"Uh, what's going on?" he asked, too in shock to move. Alex looked back up to him with misty eyes.

"You're ok," she reassured herself in a whisper before looking back down to Cisco's stomach where he had been stabbed in her vision. Slowly, Alex removed her hands from his midsection, but she couldn't seem to shake the haunting images that plagued her thoughts.

The feather light touch of Cisco's fingertips running across her jawline was what finally caught Alex's attention. She lifted her gaze to him as his hand traveled upwards to gently cup her cheek.

"What did you see?" Cisco whispered, his eyes intensely focusing on her.

"Kil-...er...Caitlin," Alex corrected herself, remembering how Cisco referred to his friend in the vision, "you and Caitlin were fighting, but she was her meta-self," Alex tried to explain in the most respectful manner she could muster. Cisco's hand slowly fell from Alex's face.

"Do you know what about? Did you see where we were?" he asked worriedly. Alex looked down as guilt washed over her. She knew Cisco wanted more information on his missing friend, but Alex had none to give. Silently, she shook her head in response causing Cisco to let out a disappointed sigh.

"She hurt you," Alex whispered out after a brief moment of silence. "She let you believe you had disarmed her. When you went to check on her she took the opportunity to stab you in the stomach with one of her ice cycles. I watched her impale you...I watched you take your last breath."

Tears began to resurface in her eyes as Alex explained the details of her vision. Cisco immediately reached out for her once more. He pulled her into a comforting hug, holding her with one hand while his other found its way into her hair. To Cisco's surprise, Alex wrapped her arms around his waist in a firm grip as she rested her head against his shoulder.

* * *

"Hey guys, you ready to give it another go?" Barry asked with a friendly smile as Cisco and Alex made their way back into the main lab walking side by side. The two had taken a few extra minutes to compose themselves after Alex's unexpected, emotional vision. Alex forced a smile in return before replying to Barry.

"Yeah, let's do this," she said as she tried her best to sound confident. Barry looked over Alex's shoulder to a solemn looking Cisco who focused all his attention on the monitors at the main desk.

Inhaling deeply, Alex made her way over to Barry and Iris. Although she knew her sole purpose of being at STAR Labs was to help Barry defeat Savitar, at that moment, all Alex wanted to do was go home. She struggled with the idea of possibly having to witness yet another brutal death of one of her new found friends. How many times does one have to watch their friends or family die before they lose their mind?

"Remember," Barry said firmly as he now stood directly in front of Alex, "we are all right here if you need us," he reminded. Alex nodded in agreement despite feeling increasingly vulnerable without Cisco beside her. Slowly, Barry lifted his hand. Closing her eyes, Alex grasped Barry's hand.

_"I'm here. I'm here!" Barry shouted before removing his suit's mask. Savitar appeared out of nowhere, now standing directly in front of Barry._

_"I know who you are," Barry said determinedly. Alex's stomach clenched. This was it. This was the moment she had been working so hard to see._

_"It's about time," Savitar taunted._

_"Yes it is. Everything with you is about time, isn't it? The past, the present, the future, you know all of it, right?" Barry began to pace back and forth causing Savitar's line of sight to follow. At one point, Alex was convinced Savitar noticed her. Her hands began to tremble and she wasn't sure if it was from fear or anticipation._

_"And you know everything about me...about Cisco, about Alex, and Iris." Alex's breath caught in her throat at the mention of her name. She knew Savitar was aware of her existence, but why? If her interference posed that much of a threat to Savitar then at least she knew she was making a difference by being there at that moment._

_"You know our strengths, you know our fears. You don't just know what was going to happen to us. You were there. You lived it. You remember. When you were me."_

_Alex watched in agonizing suspense as Savitar knelt down across from Barry. The giant metal armor began to dismantle as someone stepped from suit. Standing directly in front of Barry was a person who looked exactly like him except for a burn mark covering half of his face._

_"Like I told you from the beginning. I am the Future Flash," the scarred Barry said menacingly before slowly turning his face towards Alex, his eyes narrowing as the two locked gazes._


	16. Chapter 16

Alex gasped in fear as she forcefully pulled her hand from Barry's. He, in return, let out a disappointed sigh as Iris turned away to pace the floor.

"Same thing?" Barry asked defeatedly, referring to the repetitive vision of Iris' death. Alex stared up at Barry in disbelief. How could Barry become Savitar only for him to come back and kill Iris?

Alex reluctantly nodded her head as she cradled her dominate hand to her chest as if it was physically hurt. She knew lying about the vision was wrong, but Alex needed some time to think before confessing what she had actually witnessed.

"You ok?" Cisco asked as he made his way over to the rest of the group. He watched as Alex held her own hand while silently staring at Barry. Cisco lifted his hand to her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, gaining her attention in the process.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm good," Alex quickly replied, breaking from her trance to look up at Cisco. He gave her a suspicious look causing her to force a reassuring smile. "Really, I'm good. Actually, I just remembered I'm suppose to meet my brother for lunch. Could I meet up again with y'all later?" she asked, looking around the group.

"Sure. I told dad I'd meet him at the station for lunch as well. Want to walk together?" Iris offered kindly as she began to gather her things. Alex immediately regretted her escape plan.

"Yeah, that would be great," she replied, continuing to force her grin despite the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. Lowering her gaze, Alex too began packing up her belongings, reluctant to make eye contact with anyone else before departing.

"You sure you're ok?" Alex jumped at the sound of Cisco's question. Without her realizing it, he had made his way over to stand directly beside her. Alex peeked up at him through the corner of her eye.

"I'll be fine," she reassured softly before grabbing her bag and placing it over her shoulder. Hesitantly, Alex turned to look up at Cisco to find him staring intently down at her. She gave him another one of her forced smiles before taking a step towards the exit only to be stopped by Cisco reaching out and grabbing her hand. She quickly looked back up at him.

"You don't have to pretend, Alex.  _This_ ," Cisco used his free hand to motion outwards towards the lab, "this whole situation is jacked up. You don't have to keep it-"

 _"I'm fine, Cisco,"_  Alex interrupted. She knew her tone was harsh, but she just wanted to get out of the lab so she could clear her head. Taken by surprise from the sudden outburst, Cisco slowly released his hold on her hand. He gave her an insincere, tight lipped grin along with the tiniest of head nods before making his way over to the main console.

Alex sighed in self disappointment as she lifted her hand to run across her forehead. Before she could get too lost in her thoughts again, Iris called out to her.

"You ready, Alex?" Iris asked causing Alex's stomach to turn once again. This was going to be a long walk.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, Alex and Iris finally made their way into the police station. Despite the sick feeling in her stomach, Alex had forced herself to hold a real conversation with Iris along their way. Although difficult at first, she was glad to have a temporary distraction to take her mind off how she treated Cisco before they left.

"I'll see you back at the lab later, ok?" Iris asked hopefully as the two were about to part ways. Alex nodded.

"For sure. I'll see you later," she replied with a friendly wave before making her way to find her brother.

* * *

"What's up with you, huh?" Andrew asked as he looked up from his paperwork. Alex sat across from him at his desk as she scribbled on one of his blank notepads.

"What?" she asked, absentmindedly as she looked up from her doodle. Andrew sighed and placed his pen down, scooting his chair in a bit so he wouldn't have to lean too much over his desk.

"You show up here to  _'surprise me'_ " he paused momentarily to use finger quotations, "at work for lunch without bringing me any food then when I ask if you want to leave to go get something, you don't even bother listening. So, I ask once again...what's up with you?"

Alex sighed, lowering her gaze as she tried to think about how to explain her situation.

"Is this about that guy I met at your apartment?" Andrew asked suspiciously causing Alex's head to pop back up.

"What? No!" she answered a bit too quickly. "Well...kinda, but not really. Ugh!" she groaned in frustration. "Ok, I'm just going to start talking, and I hope you can follow along," Alex warned.

"What if you know something...that maybe...no no. What if you know something really important and...you're scared no one will believe you?" Alex finished in a dejected whisper.

"I'll believe you," Andrew replied sincerely causing his sister to smile.

"Thanks, Drew, but you can't help me with this one," Alex said kindly before picking her pen back up and beginning to draw once more. Andrew scooted closer into his desk again before leaning across and snatching the pen out of Alex's hand.

"Listen," he began firmly, making sure that he had caught his sister's attention, "if the only thing keeping you from sharing something important with your friends is fear of them not believing you, then  _make_  them believe you. Show it to them. Prove it's true, whatever it is you want to tell them. Once you do that then your is problem solved."


	17. Chapter 17

“You ok, man?” Barry asked, leaning his backside against the desk where Cisco was working.  Cisco let out a sigh, lightly pinching the bridge of his nose.  He paused before answering, contemplating where he wanted to begin.

“Alex had a vision involving me and Caitlin,” he began, looking up at his friend.  Barry’s brows furrowed in concern.

“What did she see?” he quickly replied.  Cisco sat back in his chair, deciding to officially take a break from his work.

“We were battling, I think.  She was in her Killer Frost form,” Cisco explained.  Barry slightly shook his head in disbelief.

“That’s not all,” Cisco continued, “Alex also apparently witnessed Killer Frost stabbing me with one of her ice cycles, and I didn’t make it,” he finished, hurrying the last few words before giving a slight shrug.

“Wait...what?” Barry exclaimed worriedly, but Cisco slightly raised his hand to stop his friend from panicking.

“We have enough to worry about right now.  I don’t feel like adding to it,” he explained apathetically before standing and walking over to another workstation with Barry on his heels.

“Cisco, just because we’re working on saving Iris doesn’t mean we should ignore this,” Barry tried to reason, but Cisco shook his head in reply before looking back to his friend.

“All this is starting to take its toll on Alex,” Cisco quickly retorted, “she broke down crying in my lab earlier because the vision with Caitlin.  I just don’t want her stressing any more than she already is,” he finished simply, in a much softer tone.

“Don’t you think us having some sort of plan on how to deal with Killer Frost would ease her mind?  You can’t just push this off, Cisco.  Despite what we want to believe, that meta out there isn’t Caitlin, but I know we can help bring her back,” Barry argued.

Cisco lowered his gaze in thought, ideas racing through his mind as he tried to come up with some sort of solution.  While lost in thought, he felt his phone vibrate from within his pocket.  He pulled it out, giving it a quick glance before looking back up to Barry.

Barry smiled, knowing exactly who had sent the text.  Giving Cisco a reassuring pat on the shoulder, Barry silently made his way out of the lab.

* * *

That night, Alex answered her door knowing full well who was on the other side.

“Hi,” she greeted with a hint of shame in her voice.  Now that Alex had had the time to organize her thoughts, she felt terrible for the way she had spoken to Cisco the last time they were together.  He replied with a weak smile.

“I got your text.  What’s up?” he asked casually as Alex moved to the side to let him enter her apartment.

“My brother gave me some good advice during lunch,” she began vaguely as she shut her door, unsure of how she wanted to go about the situation.  Alex was hoping for some sort of funny remark in response to her random comment, but Cisco only stared at her in silence with a confused expression written across his face.  Taking a deep breath, she decided to go for it.

“I figured out Savitar’s identity today at the lab,” Alex confessed, releasing her breath of courage in the process.  She watched as Cisco’s causal demeanor immediately disappeared.

“What?” Cisco replied harshly, filling the gap between the two of them.  “Why didn’t you tell us right then?  Alex, we could have gone after him tonight-”

Alex shook her head as he spoke causing him to trail off.

“We can’t do that,” Alex whispered, looking down at her feet as she began to lose her nerve.  Cisco gently wrapped his hands around her shoulders.

“Yes we can,” he countered confidently in a soothing tone.  Alex grimaced as she pulled out of his grip.

“I need to show it to you,” she said desperately causing Cisco to go silent once more.  Alex looked up at him with pleading eyes.  She could only hope he would be open minded to her suggestion.

“You told me there was more to your abilities than you first realized.  I want to know if there’s more to mine.  I  _ need  _ to show you what I saw or else no one will believe me,” she confessed, her voice breaking with emotion as she spoke.  Cisco’s facial features softened as he walked over to her once more.

“You don’t have to prove anything to me, Alex,” he began while reaching out to take one of her hands into his.  Alex could feel as his fingers interlaced with hers, and his thumb ran across the back of her hand.  “Whatever it is you saw, you can tell me and I’ll believe you,” Cisco finished, his voice soft with sincerity.

“You might,” she paused, “but they won’t,” Alex replied, looking up to meet Cisco’s gaze.  His brows furrowed.

“You gotta trust us, Alex.  We did with you, and look,” he smiled as he gave her hand a light squeeze, “everything’s ok.  We can handle this.  Together, the team can handle anything.  Besides, it’s not like it’s Barry or anything,” Cisco finished with a chuckle.  Alex inhaled sharply, her eyes slightly widening.  

Cisco’s smile immediately dropped.


	18. Chapter 18

"No," Cisco barely breathed out, "it's Barry?" he asked, pulling away from Alex and putting a small amount of distance between them. Alex felt her heart shatter as Cisco stared up at her in disbelief. She knew no one would believe her, not even him.

"Barry is Savitar?" Cisco repeated for confirmation. His stare was so intense, Alex had to look at the floor for a moment just to regain her composure. She nodded silently before looking back up at him.

"This is why I need to figure out how to access visions at will...because if  _you_  don't believe me, there's no way they will," Alex finished in a brokenhearted whisper. Cisco's stomach tightened as a wave of guilt washed over him. Slowly, he inched back to standing in front of her.

"I believe you, Alex," Cisco whispered sincerely, but Alex remained silent. Although Cisco admitted to having faith in her, Alex still struggled to overcome her heartbreak at his initial denial.

"Alright," Cisco sighed out as he ran a hand through his hair in thought, "let's say you can get to where certain visions come at will, then what? How will that prove to Barry, Joe, and Iris that Savitar is Barry?" Alex stared up at Cisco with hopeful eyes.

"That's where you come in," she replied softly. Realization began to dawn on Cisco.

"You...you want me to try and vibe one of your visions?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Alex nodded.

"Please, Cisco," she whispered as she took hold of his hand, "I know you can do it. I need you to do it," she encouraged. Cisco's facial features softened as he stared down at Alex who looked up at him with such hope. He wasn't sure where they would even start, but he knew he couldn't say no to her.

"Ok. Let's try."

* * *

"Try thinking back to what you saw today," Cisco instructed in a soft tone as the two sat closely together on Alex's couch. He watched as she sat back into the cushions and made herself more comfortable.

"It's going to be a little harder since Barry's not here to help trigger the vision, so you're going to have to do this on your own, ok Alex? Have you ever had a vision without a trigger before?" Cisco questioned, hoping she could remember anything to help her gain control of her visions.

"When all this first started. They would just happen randomly. There was never anything that lead to any specific vision," Alex replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice. Cisco gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's ok. You can do this. We'll figure it out together," he comforted as he rested his hand across her forearm. To Cisco's surprise, his touch resulted in Alex having a vision right at that moment. Quickly, Cisco closed his eyes to focus on vibing her thoughts.

* * *

_The sound of glass clinking filled the room, quieting all the chattering people gathered together at Jitters. With flowers and delicate decorations scattered about, the normally busy coffee shop had been rented out for a private event that night._

_Alex looked around the crowded room, surprised when she found another version of herself standing next to Cisco amongst the crowd. They, just like everyone else in the room, were dressed in slightly more formal attire to fit the special occasion._

_Alex also took notice of their intimate body language; with Cisco's hand resting comfortably across her lower back as she leaned into his embrace they looked like a couple who had been together for quite some time._

_"Whoa," a voice from behind Alex whispered out in amazement causing a startled gasp to escape her lips. She quickly turned to find Cisco looking around the room in awe. She observed he was still dressed in his casual clothes from earlier that day. Alex, momentarily struck by confusion, tilted her head slightly to the side._

_"Cisco?" she asked hesitantly before looking over her shoulder to find her future self still standing next to future Cisco. "You did it, didn't you? You're vibing this right now. You're seeing my vision!" she excitedly exclaimed as she turned back to present day Cisco._

_Too caught up in the experience, Cisco only nodded in reply as they continued to look around the room._

_"What is going on? I don't really recognize anyone here," Alex mumbled to herself before turning back to Cisco who was now wearing a huge grin across his face._

_"I have an idea," he whispered back to her, his voice full of hope._

_"Alright," Cisco and Alex heard Joe's voice from across the room. "So, this old man has a few words to say." Joe continued on with a speech about the love shared between Barry and Iris before finishing with a toast to the couple._

_As Joe finished speaking, Cisco inched closer to Alex, wrapping his arm around her waist in the process, similarly to how their future selves were standing only a few feet away from them._

_"Do you know what this is, Alex?" Cisco whispered proudly. She looked up at him with slightly furrowed brows._

_"I think it's a rehearsal dinner for Iris and Barry's wedding," she answered just as softly. A smile broke out across Cisco's face._

_"That's exactly what this is! Which means, whatever it is we've changed, it's going to work. We're going to beat Savitar."_

* * *

With a sharp inhale, Alex blinked rapidly as she returned to find herself sitting back on the couch in her livingroom with Cisco next to her; exactly like they had been before her vision.

"That was amazing!" Cisco exclaimed as he stood from the couch and began pacing back and forth to try to calm his excitement.

"Is it always like that? Everything was so vibrant; all the smells, lights, feelings," he continued before turning back to face Alex again, "It felt so real; like we just got back from the party."

Alex gave him a sad smile in return. Of course she was thrilled that Cisco was able to vibe her vision, and she was even happier that he was able to witness such a pleasant experience, but she knew more work needed to be done before they could celebrate.

"What's wrong?" Cisco asked, his tone lowering a bit as he picked up on Alex's lack of enthusiasm. He returned to his seat next to her on the couch.

"I'm thrilled it worked," Alex began with a sincere smile, "but to get to that event in the future, we still have to go through this battle with Savitar," she finished, her voice growing weaker and her smile falling.

Cisco nodded in understanding as he watched Alex look down at her hands in self doubt. He reached over to gently place his hand across her interlaced ones. Letting his thumb trail across her knuckles, he spoke.

"Well, let's get started."


	19. Chapter 19

_"No, no, no," Alex mumbled to herself in terror as she realized where she and Cisco were standing. In the distance, The Flash was shouting at Savitar who held Iris up by the back of her jacket._

_Alex had managed to summon a vision of Barry, but not one she needed, and definitely not one she ever wanted to see again._

_Cisco and Alex watched helplessly from a few feet away as Barry begged for Iris's life, but nothing changed. With an earth shattering scream Alex knew all too well, Iris was killed right before them._

* * *

Tears stung Alex's eyes as she and Cisco returned back to the present time. Cisco gasped, tears also filling his eyes as he pulled his hand back from Alex's shoulder to cover his mouth. The more he tried to focus on something else, the louder Barry's scream seemed to echo in his ear. He had to make it stop. He had to escape the sound.

Cisco's hands traveled from his mouth up into his hair to temporarily cover his ears, quickly rising to his feet in the process.

"It feels like this every time?" he asked, his voice cracking with emotion as his chest continued to heave heavily for air. Alex solemnly nodded as Cisco forced himself to remove his hands from over his ears.

"I'm sorry you had to experience it," she whispered shamefully. Out of all the visions Alex could have possibly summoned, she ended up exposing Cisco to the one that plagued her dreams ever since she witnessed it.

Cisco exhaled deeply to help regain control of his emotions before turning his attention back to Alex. She was looking up at him with sympathy written across her face.

"Come on," Cisco said, extending his hand to her. Alex placed her hand in his as he pulled her to her feet.

"What are we doing?" she asked softly, welcoming any distraction to take her mind off the vision they just returned from.

"We're moving to the balcony. Some fresh air will help," Cisco replied before leading her out onto the open living space. Unlike their first time sitting above the city lights, the two decided to sit on the ground of the balcony with their backs propped against the wall.

"That day in the lab," Cisco began, breaking the long bout of silence between them, "each and every time you had that vision...it felt like this?" he repeated his question from earlier, almost as if he was hoping for a different answer. Alex turned to look at him, gently placing her hand in the bend of his elbow.

"I'm so sorry for letting this happen to you, Cisco," Alex whispered, "I didn't mean for you to experience that. I would  _never_  want you to feel this way." Cisco looked up at her with a confused look written across his face.

"Alex, no. I'm sorry for standing around like some idiot while you suffered with this pain. I should've done more to comfort you instead of just sitting there like some awkward dork," he ranted. To Cisco's pleasant surprise, Alex let out a small laugh.

"You were everything I needed. Thank you," she softly whispered, giving his arm a gentle squeeze of reassurance in the process. "I just...sometimes I wish I had never gotten these stupid powers," Alex confessed with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

Cisco leaned his body closer into her where their shoulders were now pressed together.

"It's got to be insanely difficult to live like this, but that doesn't mean your powers are a bad thing, Alex," Cisco replied.

Alex let out a sigh of frustration, slowly shaking her head in disagreement.

"You're making a difference. We are going to figure out how to summon your visions at will  _tonight_ , so that tomorrow we can show the group what they need for us to come up with a solid game plan," Cisco said, his unusually firm tone growing softer again.

"Plus, without your powers, you might not have met me, and  _that_  would be a tragedy in itself," he noted playfully with a wide grin causing Alex to let out a small chuckle.

"That's true," she admitted, still smiling as she bashfully looked down for a brief moment. Cisco admired the small tint of pink that washed across her cheeks before she looked back up to him.

"That day at Jitters," Alex began softly with a shadow of a smile still across her lips, "when we spent all afternoon talking, you  _bugged the crap out of me_  about what I saw when we first shook hands." Cisco's grin widened in excitement as he interrupted.

"What? Now you're gonna tell me?" he teased. Alex nodded as she let out a breathy laugh.

"This was it," she confessed. "We were sitting alone on the floor of my balcony. I was upset about my powers, and you were offering to somehow help teach me...something must've slightly changed along the way, but I vividly remember this event. I came back to the present so flustered because shaking your hand was the first time I ever saw myself in a vision being so comfortable with someone I had just met."

Cisco's smile had slowly softened as she explained the details of her vision to him. While watching her speak, he noticed certain moments when she would decide to glance up at him out of the corner of her eye as if she was embarrassed by the confession.

Shifting slightly so his body was now turned to face Alex's a bit more, Cisco used the knuckle of his index finger to lift her chin and bring her gaze upwards to him. Alex looked up in surprise, taken back by the gentle display of affection as his hand traveled upwards to cup her cheek.

Slowly, Cisco leaned in to press his lips against Alex's. The soft kiss grew deeper as Alex lifted her hand to brush Cisco's hair back from his face, keeping her fingers entangled in his curls.

Alex felt Cisco place his free hand on her hip to better steady himself as their kiss grew more passionate, but she reluctantly began to pull away. Trailing her fingers lovingly through his hair, Alex broke the kiss, resting her forehead against his.

"Too much?" Cisco asked with a raised eyebrow and a worried grimace across his face. Alex laughed wholeheartedly as she shook her head.

"That's not it," she grinned, "We just can't let ourselves get distracted right now."

Cisco let out a disappointed sigh.

"I know you're right, but like...I don't want you to be," he replied, moving back to where he was resting against the wall once more. Alex grinned slyly as an idea popped into her mind, noticing the disappointed look still on Cisco's face.

"You know, Cisco, the sooner I can control my visions, the sooner we could go back to distracting ourselves," she suggested innocently. The corner of Cisco's lip tugged upwards.

"Then I don't know why you're still sitting around here," he smirked.


	20. Chapter 20

The next morning, Alex and Cisco sat silently in the lab together as they struggled to stay awake. The two had pulled an all nighter in attempt to perfect Alex's ability to summon visions on command.

"I'm nervous," Alex confessed as she fiddled with the coffee mug between her hands. Her voice jolted awake Cisco who had been nodding off in his chair behind the console.

"You got this, Alex," he replied, the exhaustion evident in his voice. Cisco stretched back in the chair before standing. Groggily, he made his way over to sit beside Alex.

"Not only were you able to conjure up the specific images you wanted, but you did it with me vibing along. There's nothing to be worried about. We're gonna tackle this together," he comforted. While speaking, Cisco reached over to interlace his fingers with hers, giving her hand a gentle squeeze in the process.

Alex smiled up at him, feeling a bit of relief due to his supportive attitude.

"Thank you," she whispered before leaning across the armrest of her chair and lightly kissing his lips.

"I'm sorry we didn't have more free time for distractions last night," Alex apologized with a shy smile, breaking apart from the short kiss. Cisco lifted his free hand to rest along the side of her neck, carefully pulling her back towards him.

"Girl, we got time now," he playfully mumbled as their lips grew closer together. Alex couldn't help but giggle into the kiss as their lips met once more. As Cisco slowly began to trail his hand up Alex's neck and into her hair, the two heard someone loudly clear their throat from across the room. They quickly pulled apart to find Iris and Barry staring at them with matching amaused grins.

"Uhh, you two been there long?" Cisco called out as Alex's face burned a deep crimson. Not only was she embarrassed that they had been caught mid-kiss, but she had hoped to have more time to mentally prepare before confronting the newly arrived couple.

"Long enough," Barry smirked as he and Iris made their way into the lab. "So, you two?" Barry started as he pointed back and forth between Cisco and Alex, his smirk growing.

This time, Alex was the one to clear her throat. Giving Cisco's hand one last squeeze for reassurance, she stood to inform the couple what they had been dying to know for so long.

"I, uh, have some information about Savitar," Alex said, her voice quivering slightly from nerves. Barry and Iris immediately stilled, all previous amusement falling from their faces.

"You know something? What is it?" Iris anxiously asked as she made her way over to Alex. The look of hope on Iris's face was enough to make Alex feel sick to her stomach.

"I know his identity," Alex confessed in the quietest of voices. Cisco stood from his chair to gently rest his hand on Alex's shoulder for support. Alex looked up at him out of the corner of her eye to give him a quick thankful smile in return.

"That's great! Who is he? We need to start prepping immediately," Barry rushed out his words in determination, moving to the dry erase board to jot down any pieces of information that would be useful from Alex's vision.

"It's not that easy, Barry," Alex began as she shook her head, "I have to show it to you. I...I can't explain it," she replied solemnly. Barry immediately turned back around to the group with a worried look across his face.

"What do you mean, Alex?" Iris asked, wearing the same look of concern as Barry. Trying to shake away all nervousness, Alex inhaled deeply before explaining.

" _Telling_  you Savitar's identity is just going to cause confusion, so Cisco and I stayed up all night figuring out how to access my visions at will," she explained, her voice trailing off at the end.

"That's great, but how exactly are you planning on showing it to us?" Barry asked, making his way back over to the rest of the team.

"We're going to vibe you into it," Cisco confidently answered from his position beside Alex.

"Is it that bad, Cisco?" Iris whispered in fear. Cisco slightly nodded his head in reply.

"Ok, so how does this work?" Barry asked, not wanting to waste any more time. Knowing how uneasy Alex still felt, Cisco decided to answer.

"Alex is going to start everything by going into her vision. Once she gets that spaced out look, you know what I'm talking about, I'm gonna vibe Barry into it and we'll go from there," he explained to Barry and Iris before looking back over to Alex.

"You ready?" Cisco asked softly. Alex did her best at giving him a confident smile.

"Yeah, I got this," she answered, reiterating Cisco's words from earlier that morning.

Alex closed her eyes, inhaling deeply to help clear her mind. As she opened her eyes again, she focused all her energy on retrieving the specific vision she wanted to access

* * *

_"I'm here. I'm here!" Future Barry shouted before removing his suit's mask. Savitar appeared out of nowhere, now standing directly in front of Future Barry._

_Alex sighed in relief as soon as she realized she had summoned the correct vision on the first try. Now all she had to do was wait for Cisco and Barry to arrive._

_"I know who you are," Future Barry said determinedly. Alex intently watched the confrontation between the two speedsters in front of her. A soft touch on her shoulder caused her to nearly jump out of her skin._

_"Cisco," Alex scolded as she turned to face the boys. Cisco replied with an exaggerated apologetic grin as Barry focused on the scene in front of them._

_"It's about time," Savitar taunted._

_The three watched as Future Barry and Savitar exchanged heated words with one another._

_"And you know everything about me...about Cisco, about Alex, and Iris."_

_"Wait - I didn't hear that last time," Cisco whispered into Alex's ear so he wouldn't distract Barry from what he needed to see._

_"Hear what?" Alex asked worriedly._

_"Barry mentioning us. Is metal head going to target us as well?" he asked. Admittedly, the idea of becoming a target never really crossed Alex's mind. Before she could respond to Cisco's concerning question, they all heard Future Barry as he shouted his realization._

_"You know our strengths, you know our fears. You don't just know what was going to happen to us. You were there. You lived it. You remember. When you were me."_

_"I'm Savitar?" Present Barry whispered in disbelief._

_The three watched as Savitar knelt down in front of Future Barry, the metal suit coming apart piece by piece. Slowly, a disfigured version of Barry emerged from the suit wearing an evil grin plastered across his face._

_"Like I told you from the beginning. I am the Future Flash."_


	21. Chapter 21

STAR Labs was eerily silent as the three returned from the vision. Barry looked up to find Iris worriedly staring at him while Cisco and Alex's gazes focused downward.

"Did it work?" Iris asked, now looking back and forth between the group. Barry silently nodded, redirecting his line of sight to Alex.

"That's why you needed to show me...because I'm Savitar," Barry whispered. Iris's brows furrowed in disbelief.

"What? How? There's no way," she said, reaching forward to take Barry's hands into her own. Barry shook his head, his eyes lowering to their joined hands. He tried to think of something comforting to say to his fiance, but nothing came to mind. All he could think about was the imagine of himself emerging from Savitar's suit.

"Actually, I have a theory," Cisco began causing everyone to turn their attention towards him. "Remember last year with Zoom?" he asked as he made his way over to the dry erase board. Alex looked back to Barry just in time to see the figurative light bulb going off in his head.

"Time remnant," Barry replied softly in realization. Cisco nodded with a confident grin.

"Can someone please explain to me what that is?" Alex asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the mention of Zoom's name. She was unfortunate enough to be visiting her brother down at the station last year when Zoom had stormed in holding an unconscious Flash in his hand.

"A time remnant is essentially a duplicate of a speedster. He's identical to Barry in every way, shape, and form; well, except for that burnt pizza crust face. Imagine it," Cisco said, picking up a marker to draw a straight line on the board.

"Here in the future, Flash creates a time remnant for whatever reason. And as we know, Savitar will eventually become trapped in the Speedforce. What if  _this specific_  time remnant turns on us and goes back in time to become Savitar? Creating an endless timeloop in the process," Cisco explained, illustrating the example while speaking.

"Wait," Iris began, "if this thing really is a copy of Barry, wouldn't he have Barry's memories? Feelings? Why would he want to kill me?" Iris asked, trying to remain strong but the heartbreak in her voice was evident.

"We don't know. Right now all this is purely speculation," Barry replied. The room remained silent as everyone racked their brain for the missing puzzle piece.

"Alex," Barry called, hopelessness lining his voice, "do you think you can try to see something? Anything that we could be missing," he begged.

Taking a deep breath, Alex nodded in reply before holding her hand out to Barry.

* * *

_Alex found herself in a crowded church. She looked around the room, hoping to recognize at least one face. Turning towards the altar, Alex saw Barry, Cisco, and the infamous Oliver Queen from Star City standing there in tuxes. Her breath caught in her throat._

_She was witnessing Barry and Iris's wedding._

_Before Alex could take in any more of her surrounding, the sound of string instruments started up as a blonde girl with glasses began singing._

_Faces turned towards the back of the room as a giant set of doors swung open. Standing at the entrance was Iris West in her wedding gown with her arm entwined around her father's. Alex watched in elation as everyone stood to get a better view of the bride walking down the aisle._

_Just as Joe moved to pass along his daughter to her future husband, the vision began growing dimmer. Alex slipped back to the present with the simple, yet beautiful song still playing in her mind._

* * *

With an elated girlish giggle, Alex found herself standing back in STAR Labs clutching Barry's hand. She quickly pulled away, the huge grin remaining across her lips as she looked back and forth between Barry and Iris.

"I take it you didn't see anything involving Savitar," Barry guessed still wearing the same forlorn look across his face, but even that didn't diminish Alex's excitement.

"Nope," she replied, fighting back another laugh, "I saw something even more important."

Despite knowing the severity of the ongoing situation with Savitar, Alex couldn't seem to shake her giddy attitude no matter how hard she tried.

"What was it?" Iris asked anxiously. At this point, she needed to hear some positive news; anything to ease her mind.

Cisco made his way over to Alex's side before she could answer. He was the only one not staring at her like she had finally lost her mind. In fact, he was wearing a slight grin on his own as if he knew the reason behind Alex's weird behavior.

"Does it involve a party at Jitters?" he questioned quietly, but not enough to where the couple couldn't hear him. Alex nodded in reply.

"I don't know if we should tell them specifics though. Them knowing certain details could possibly  _alter_  the future outcome," Alex whispered back with a hidden wink just for Cisco. As they exchanged quiet words, Barry and Iris were becoming increasingly irritated.

"Hey, over here! Remember us?" Barry shouted in annoyance causing Alex and Cisco to look back to him.

As Alex opened her mouth to speak, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Pulling it out to take a quick glance, she saw it was a text from her brother asking her to meet him down at the station.

"I'm sorry guys, but I got to go," Alex informed with an apologetic smile. Before either Iris or Barry could protest, Cisco spoke.

"I'll walk you out," he quickly volunteered, wearing a sly grin of his own.

While grabbing her bag, Alex decided she would try to give the couple a hint at what she had seen. As she passed them, she hummed the tune from her vision that still played in her mind.

"Come running home to you," Alex softly sang just loud enough for Barry and Iris to hear. The two turned to face one another with wide eyes of surprise just as Cisco and Alex made their way out of the lab.


	22. Chapter 22

Making her way out of STAR Labs, Alex felt the cheerful energy brought on by Barry's vision slowly beginning to fade. With a deep sigh, the worries of Savitar returned to her mind but she tried not to focus too much them. Instead, Alex was wondering why her brother wanted her to stop by the police station so early in the morning.

Once off STAR Labs's property, there were a few empty streets to cross before entering downtown Central City where the police station was located. As Alex passed by what she thought was an empty alleyway, a figure stepped out from behind her. Startled by the sound of an extra set of footsteps, Alex quickly turned around to come face to face with Killer Frost.

"So you're what all the fuss is about," Killer Frost said nonchalantly as she tilted her head to the side, examining Alex and taking a step closer. With each step Killer Frost took forward, Alex matched it with a step backwards. She stared wide eyed at the white haired woman in front of her while trying to calmly reach the phone in her pocket.

"I, uh, have no idea what you're talking about. You probably have the wrong person," Alex anxiously rushed her words. Killer Frost smirked as she took another step forward.

"If I have the wrong person," Killer Frost paused to grab ahold of Alex's forearm, pulling it up to reveal the cell phone in her hand, "then why are you trying to activate Cisco's metahuman alert app?"

Alex felt her arm growing cold underneath Killer Frost's grip. With one last flick of her thumb, Alex managed to send her location to the team back at STAR Labs.

"You shouldn't have done that," Killer Frost sneered, increasing the freezing hold on Alex's arm. With a groan of pain, Alex instantly lifted her empty hand to Killer Frost's wrist as she tried to free herself.

* * *

_"We're a team, aren't we? Barry and Caitlin at it again," Killer Frost noted softly. Alex froze in fear. She was standing directly beside Killer Frost and the Savitar version of Barry as he worked on his metal suit._

_"You're not Caitlin...and I'm not Barry," he replied condescendingly, momentarily looking up before returning back his suit._

_"You sure you want to go through with this? Killing Iris?" Killer Frost questioned. To Alex, it sounded like Killer Frost was becoming a bit annoyed by Savitar's indifferent treatment towards her._

_"Well, it's either her or me. If Iris doesn't die, then I'll never be born," Savitar answered firmly as he placed the tools he was working with down next to the suit. Slowly, he stood to walk over to Killer Frost._

_Alex carefully listened to every detail mentioned between the two as Killer Frost continued her questioning about Iris._

_"If you have all of Barry's memories, don't you remember falling in love with her?"_

_"What I remember," Savitar darkly began, "is being created as a disposable life. Something to be thrown away when Barry Allen was done with me. He didn't care about me. None of them did, so why should I care about his love?...You're not having second thoughts are you?"_

_While he spoke, Savitar inched closer to Killer Frost until they faced eye to eye. Alex could tell the look of intimidation across Savitar's face was more than just a bluff._

_Killer Frost slightly shook her head in response; fear hindering her silent._

_"Good, now go take care of that Seer, and don't let me down this time. Maybe you'll finally start living up to that name,_ Killer _Frost."_

* * *

Cisco and Barry arrived at Alex's location to find her face to face with Killer Frost, but something seemed off to them. Alex was holding on to Killer Frost's wrist like she was trying to free herself from the evil meta's grip, but instead of resisting her arm rested limp.

Killer Frost smirked in amusement as Alex's struggling abruptly stopped. She took the unexpected opportunity to form an icicle with her free hand.

"She's having a vision. Barry, you gotta get her out of there now," Cisco urged, panic rising in his voice as he recognized the blank look across Alex's face.

Before Killer Frost could thrust the icicle forward, Alex was pulled from her grasp and rushed back to stand between The Flash and Cisco.

"Alex," Cisco whispered softly to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle shake in the process.

As Alex came to she immediately gasped in pain, clutching her forearm to her chest in hopes that would somehow ease the discomfort. Cisco carefully took her wrist into his hand, pulling her arm forward to examine it. The skin where Killer Frost made contact had turned blue, and there were traces of a thin layer of ice in small patches across her arm.

The white haired meta across from the three let out an exasperated groan as she turned to face the newcomers.

"I should have known you two would show up," she said, still clinging to the icicle in her hand.

"What are you doing, Caitlin? Why are you going after Alex?" The Flash asked, taking a tiny step forward in the process.

"Savitar wants her dead. She's interfered one too many times," Killer Frost replied before throwing the icicle in their direction, but The Flash was quick to catch it and redirect the object into a brick wall where it shattered.

"Get her out of here, Cisco," The Flash ordered from over his shoulder. Alex felt Cisco instantly wrap his arm around her waist, but she quickly objected.

"Wait!" she called out, pushing herself out of Cisco's embrace with her good arm. He looked at her in confusion, but before he could say anything Alex spoke.

"Caitlin, I saw your future a second ago," Alex began hurriedly, "Savitar is going to be disappointed you failed him. He'll make you feel inferior. He might even frighten you, but you don't have to go back to him. These two and Iris, they're your friends. They would never treat you that way."

Alex hoped this would be her opportunity to change the future. If she could convince Killer Frost to join them then there was no way Savitar would have a chance. Caitlin would be their insider to his plans.

" _I have no friends,_ " Killer Frost sneered before shooting an immensely strong gust of frozen air in their direction causing the three to go flying back onto the concrete.

"Go!" The Flash ordered once more, already standing back on his feet. Cisco quickly rushed over to Alex, pulling her up and back into his side like he had the first time Barry ordered them to leave. As Cisco held up his hand, a blue tinted circular opening appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Alex looked to Cisco in apprehension.

"Trust me. Just hold on," Cisco warned, tightening his hold on Alex as they made their way into the portal only to land back in the cortex of STAR Labs.


	23. Chapter 23

"Come on, we need to warm up your arm before any permanent damage is done," Cisco said as he lead Alex to a joining room of the main lab that was filled medical equipment. Still clutching her frozen arm, Alex sat on the edge of what looked like a hospital bed.

"Iris," Cisco called as he jogged over to her. The two talked briefly before Cisco made his way back to Alex.

"You're gonna wanna lay back," Cisco encouraged, resting the palm of his hand on Alex's shoulder before gently easing her back into the bed.

"What's going to happen?" Alex asked worriedly as she looked up at Cisco with wide eyes. A sad look washed across his face as he moved his hand from her shoulder to affectionately brush back hair from her forehead.

"We're gonna warm up your arm," he vaguely replied, his voice almost as soft as his touch.

Reluctantly, Cisco removed his hand from Alex's hair so he could take another look at her injured arm. Nothing had changed; the blue skin and ice patches still remained. He let out a disappointed sigh just as Iris entered the room.

"Ok, Alex," Cisco began, moving over to the opposite bedside of her injured arm, "this might suck at first, but it's got to be done, ok?" he warned, not bringing about any comfort to the anxious girl. Iris moved into the spot where Cisco had previously been. Alex nodded in understanding just as she felt Cisco take hold of her hand, cupping it into both of his.

Suddenly a burning sensation covered her icy skin. Alex let out a hiss of pain through gritted teeth as she clutched onto one of Cisco's hands for support.

"It burns!" she exclaimed, quickly looking down to see what was going on with her arm. She was surprised to see Iris holding only a simple towel over the frozen area.

"I know. The heat sensors in your body are rapidly firing-" Cisco rushed his words as he tried explaining to Alex what was happening to her internally, but she couldn't focus on what he was saying. All her attention was drawn to the agonizing pain in her arm.

Noticing she wasn't listening to a word coming out of his mouth, Cisco stopped talking and redirected his attention towards trying to comfort Alex in any way he could. He let one hand slide up and down her uninjured forearm as he tried his best to soothe her.

"It'll ease up soon," he encouraged in a whisper as he watched Alex squeeze her eyes shut and breathe through the pain. After what felt like an eternity, the burning did begin to die down. Slowly, Alex's breathing returned to normal. She opened her eyes to find Cisco and Iris both staring at her.

"I'm ok now," she reassured them. Cisco walked back over to take a look at Alex's arm. After peeking underneath the towel, he laid it back down and pressed it firmly into her skin causing Alex to inhale sharply. Although the gesture brought discomfort, it was nothing compared to a few moments prior.

"The worst is over, but it still needs to stay on," Cisco said, referring to the warm towel still thawing out her arm.

Iris gave Alex a gentle shoulder pat and a friendly smile before making her way back into the cortex, giving the two some privacy. Cisco walked back over to the other side of the bed, not wanting to risk accidently bumping into Alex's still sore arm. He then pulled up a chair to the bedside and made himself comfortable.

"Thank you," Alex whispered with a small smile as she grabbed Cisco's hand with her good arm. He gave her hand a light squeeze in response but the look on his face remained solemn.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked, her brows furrowing in worry. Cisco shook his head, looking down in shame.

"I should have been there. I should have offered to walk with you," he mumbled, still keeping his eyes locked downward. Alex tugged at his hand, forcing him to look up.

"This isn't your fault, Cisco," she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He scoffed in reply, removing his hand from hers and standing from the chair.

"If Barry and I didn't get there when we did then you'd be-" he abruptly paused for a moment, taking a hard swallow before continuing, "you'd be a lot worse off than some minor frostbite, Alex. And the worst part about it is you weren't even aware of what was going on. You were lost in some stupid vision."

Alex winced at the harshness of Cisco's words, remaining silent for a few seconds to regain her composure.

"You're right," she whispered causing Cisco's facial expression to immediately soften. "But it wasn't some stupid vision. I saw something important," Alex informed, her voice growing firmer. Cisco let out a deep sigh as he sat back down in the chair next to her.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely, running his hand across his brow, "it's just hard seeing Caitlin like that. Then for her to actually hurt you," Cisco trailed off. Alex took the opportunity to grab his hand once. He let his thumb trail across the back of her knuckles as he looked back up at her.

"Your life isn't worth some glimpse into the future, Alex," Cisco whispered. She nodded in agreement.

"I know, so thank you for getting me out of there," Alex whispered with a weak smile. Cisco returned the gesture with a tight lipped grin of his own. With another gentle hand squeeze, Cisco stood from the chair.

"I should probably go see if Barry needs some backup," he said. Cisco then leaned over the edge of the bed to place a tender kiss upon Alex's forehead before making his way into the cortex with Iris.


	24. Chapter 24

Alex rested in bed with the warm, damp towel still wrapped tightly around her forearm. She tried her best to listen in on anything Iris and Cisco were talking about in the next room, but she could only pick up a few words here and there. As she began to let her thoughts wonder, they traveled to her brother and why he had wanted her to stop by the precinct in the first place.

Immediately, Alex hopped out of bed, the towel falling to the floor as she raced into the cortex. Iris and Cisco looked up at her in surprise.

"My brother; would she go after my brother?" Alex asked in a panic. Iris gave the worried girl a reassuring smile as she walked over to her.

"It's ok. I texted my dad. He's reassigned your brother to partner so he can keep an eye on him," Iris informed. A wave of relief washed over Alex, and despite their previous rocky beginnings, Alex pulled Iris into a grateful hug.

"Thank you so much," Alex said softly, breaking away. The two shared a friendly smile as Barry raced back into the lab.

"She's gone," he sighed, removing his mask in frustration. Iris walked over to him to place her hand on his shoulder while Cisco remained uncharacteristically quiet. He was concentrating on one of the computers in front of him as Barry redirected his focus towards Alex.

"How's your arm?" he asked kindly. Alex looked down at her now thawed arm.

"It's ok now, thanks. Cisco and Iris did a good job taking care of me," she answered, hoping Cisco would rejoin them at the sound of his name, but he remained focused at his task at hand.

"You know, guys," Alex began, knowing she needed to tell the group about her vision as quickly as possible while it was still fresh in her mind.

"I saw something important when I grabbed onto Caitlin." This time Cisco looked up from behind the computer in front of him.

"What was it?" Iris asked softly as she and Barry moved a bit closer to Alex in anxiousness.

"It was her and Savitar talking. I think Cisco was right about that time remnant thing," Alex replied. She glanced over at Cisco to see him stand up from his chair and walk over to them.

"Can you show us?" Barry asked. Alex gave a weak nod in reply.

"I can try...if Cisco's up for it," she answered softly, peeking at him through the corner of her eye. Alex knew Cisco was still upset by the whole situation, but she hoped him seeing her new vision would somehow help ease his mind.

"Whenever you're ready," Cisco said, shortly. The distant feeling between her and Cisco made it difficult for Alex to concentrate. Summoning the vision took quite a few moments longer than normal, but she eventually managed.

* * *

_"We're a team, aren't we? Barry and Caitlin at it again," Killer Frost said. Alex sighed in relief as the correct vision appeared before her eyes. It was only seconds before she felt Cisco and Barry's presence next to her._

_"You're not Caitlin...and I'm not Barry," Savitar replied as he worked on his suit. Barry and Cisco watched in complete silence as the two evil metas exchanged heated words._

_"You're sure you want to go through with this?" Killer Frost asked._

_"She's having second thoughts. I knew it. There's hope for her," Cisco whispered, a small smile forming across his face. Meanwhile, Barry took a few steps closer to Savitar, beginning to slowly circle him like a predator to prey._

_The three listened to Savitar explain exactly how he came to being; how Iris had to die in order for Barry to create the time remnant which would eventually evolve into Savitar._

_"...Now go take care of that Seer, and don't let me down this time. Maybe you'll finally start living up to that name,_ Killer _Frost."_

* * *

The three awoke from the vision to find Iris staring at them nervously.

"We were right. He's a time remnant," Barry said in disbelief. "He needs you to die," Barry continued as he explained everything to Iris, "so I'll be broken enough to seek help using time remnants. He'll survive and live on to become Savitar. It's an endless loop."

"Not unless we can break the cycle," Iris countered, "and we do, right?" she asked hopefully, turning towards Alex. Alex gave Iris a sympathetic smile before answering.

"Remember that my visions can be altered due to certain events, but as of right now the outcome looks positive," she reluctantly confessed. Alex didn't want to tell the couple too much of what she had seen in their future for fear of possibly changing the upcoming events.

"Hey guys, can I talk to Alex for a second?" Cisco interjected, avoiding Alex's curious stare. Barry shook his head.

"Yeah, go for it," he replied. Cisco nodded to the side indicating for Alex to follow him. The two made their way into his workshop so they could speak privately.

"What's up?" Alex asked, trying her best to sound nonchalant. Cisco stared at her with a melancholy look written across his face.

"Your vision, the one you had with me and Caitlin fighting...could you show it to me?" he asked. There was almost a hopelessness in his voice as he spoke. Alex's brows furrowed in concern.

"You don't need to see that, Cisco. Besides, it's not going to-" she was quickly cut off.

"It could," Cisco interrupted firmly. Alex slightly shook her head in denial as he continued.

"What if that fight between me and Caitlin was because Savitar wants you dead?" Cisco asked, slowly taking a step closer to her to fill the gap between them.

"It's not going to happen, Cisco," Alex firmly replied. "We won't let that happen. I-" before she could finish her sentence, Alex had a flashback to one of her visions. It was a short one; one of her first visions involving Cisco.

"What?" Cisco asked worriedly. Alex looked down as she tried to recall the event.

"When we were in the coffee shop that first day," she whispered before looking back up to him, "I had another vision of us. I think it had something to do with you and Caitlin." Cisco gently took both of her hands into his.

"I need to see them, Alex. Remember, we were together at Barry and Iris's rehearsal dinner?  Maybe showing me these visions is the event that saves my life," Cisco suggested, knowing full well Alex wouldn't deny his request if there was a chance it would help keep him safe. Alex closed her eyes and let out a defeated sigh.

"I don't want you to see your own death," she whispered, looking up at Cisco with wide, sad eyes. He immediately looked down at their joined hands to avoid her gaze.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've seen myself die," he replied just as softly. Alex's brows furrowed in concern as she leaned in closer to him, lowering her head enough to force him to look her in the eye.

"What are you talking about?" she asked worriedly.

"Show me the visions and I'll explain after," Cisco bargained as he lifted his head in confidence. Alex glared at the offer, but reluctantly agreed.

"Fine, but I'm cutting the vision off when I see fit," she countered. Cisco nodded in agreement.

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you for all the kudos/reviews! It means so much to me to know you're enjoying the story!


	25. Chapter 25

_"Cisco, please don't go! If this doesn't work you could die!" Alex heard herself plea as she and Cisco watched their future selves interact directly in front of them._

_"And if I don't try she'll come for you," he whispered before lifting his hand to caress her cheek._

_"You saw this while we were at Jitters?" present day Cisco quietly asked as he stood next to Alex. She silently nodded in reply._

_"I had no context at the time, so I tried not to focus on it. Now it makes sense though," she confessed, feeling a bit guilty about keeping the vision to herself. To be honest, this vision in particular had slipped her mind. It was such a short glimpse that happened while in a public setting she didn't have the time to worry about it._

_The imagine in front of them began to fade away and transform into a wooded area._

_"This is it," Alex whispered, a lump forming in her throat as memories of Cisco's death flooded back to mind. Cisco reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. Alex looked up to give him a thankful smile right before they heard a voice in the distance._

_"You don't have to do this, Caitlin," future Cisco called out. He was standing a few feet in front of them, but Killer Frost was nowhere to be seen._

_"What are you wearing?" Alex asked Cisco, referring to the illuminated glasses on his face._

_"They're enhanced goggles to help focus my powers," he answered in a mumble without much thought, too caught up in watching the scene play out before them._

_"Oh, but I do, Cisco."_

_The sudden sound of Killer Frost's sultry voice took the two by surprise. They quickly turned to see the white haired meta in the distance._

_"And the name's Killer Frost," she finished through gritted teeth before shooting an icicle in future Cisco's direction._

_The two proceeded to battle like Alex had seen the last time she witnessed the vision. She instinctively placed her hand on Cisco's forearm, wanting to somehow shield him from what she knew was coming._

_"Caitlin, please," future Cisco begged as he hid behind the trunk of a tree._

_"I'm holding back," present day Cisco noted. "I'm scared if I don't then I could kill her."_

_Despite his words, as Killer Frost advanced her attack, future Cisco shot a sonic wave in her direction causing her to go flying back a few feet. She landed lifelessly on the ground._

_Future Cisco momentarily watched from afar before jogging over to check on his friend._

_Without another word, Alex immediately ended the vision causing the image in front of them to slowly fade to black._

* * *

"So she was pretending to be unconscious?" Cisco asked as the two returned from the vision. Alex nodded.

"She waits for you to kneel next to her before making her move," Alex replied after forcing herself to swallow the forming lump in her throat.

They briefly remained silent before Cisco reached out, placing his hands around Alex's waist and pulling her close. Alex, in return, lifted her hands to rest upon his shoulders as she looked up at him.

"I'm not going to let her hurt you again," Cisco whispered as the two locked eyes. Alex's face softened at the sincerity in his voice. Slowly, she inched closer to him until there was no longer any space between them.

"Hopefully it won't come down to the two of you facing off," Alex said as she let one of her hands travel upwards to the back of his neck, gently entangling her fingers in a few strands of his hair.

"Now, do you want to explain to me what you said earlier about you seeing yourself die?" she asked, her tone of voice slightly hardening. Cisco looked down to avoid her gaze.

"I, uh...in another timeline I was killed," he confessed before looking back up to Alex. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Another timeline?" she asked. Cisco slightly tightened his hold around Alex's waist, feeling comforted by her close proximity.

"Long story short, a guy we trusted turned out to be a Big Bad in disguise. He was a speedster like Barry, and he could vibrate his hand so fast it'd penetrate solid objects. He ended up using his vibrating hand to pierce through my chest. Luckily, Barry ended up running back in time, therefore creating a new timeline in which I survived."

Alex stared at Cisco in disbelief as he went on to explain how he stumbled across his fate in the previous timeline once his powers began manifesting.

Silently, Alex lifted her free hand to Cisco's cheek in a tender caress before leaning up to press her lips against his. Cisco eagerly reciprocated, deepening the kiss as his hands pulled her body against his causing him to take a half step back, bumping into his desk in the process.

The sound of a few items falling from the desk and hitting the floor wasn't enough for them to break away from one another. Only when the two needed to regain their breath did they pull apart.

Alex glanced down at the objects that now rested on the floor. "Sorry about that," she grinned with flushed cheeks as she pulled out of Cisco's arms to begin picking up the mess.

"That is like, literally, the last thing I care about right now," Cisco replied, the familiar lighthearted nature in his voice returning. Alex couldn't help but laugh as Cisco joined her in picking up.

"Hey, what are these?" she asked, holding up a pair of matching circular objects. Cisco's face fell as he took them out of her hands and stood. Alex followed.

"They're power dampening cuffs. Caitlin temporarily used them to keep Ice Queen at bay," he explained, twirling them about in his hands before looking back up at Alex.

"Keep them," Cisco said as he handed Alex back the cuffs. "If you ever encounter Killer Frost again, I want you to immediately try to put them on," he requested. Alex tilted her head in confusion as she held on to the cuffs.

"Cisco, if it wasn't for my vision we wouldn't be certain of Savitar's motives. Remember, it was you who encouraged me to embrace my powers," Alex said softly, looking down at the items in her hands.

"Yeah, that was before you almost became a shish kabob because of them. It's different now, Alex. I thought we both agreed your life was more important than these glimpses...I just want you safe," he finished in a defeated whisper. Alex nodded in understanding as she tightened her grip around the cuffs.

"I'll think about it," she countered with a forced tight lipped smile.


	26. Chapter 26

"Would you like to have dinner tonight at my place?" Cisco asked as he and Alex made their way out of the lab for the evening. Alex smiled brightly up at him in response to the invitation.

"I'd love to," she replied. In all honesty, she felt a bit of relief by his request. Cisco was still acting uncharacteristically solemn due to the day's altercation with Killer Frost, and Alex hoped spending a bit more time together would help cheer him up.

* * *

Alex smiled to herself, standing next to Cisco's kitchen table, as she watched him frantically walk back and forth from the refrigerator to the stove.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked while trying to conceal her amusement. Her question caused Cisco to come to a complete stop as he turned to face her.

"I got this," he replied confidently with a playful smirk, "you just make yourself at home," he encouraged causing Alex to quietly chuckle.

Relieved by faint signs of his usual upbeat personality, Alex nodded before turning and walking into the joining living area. The spacious room was painted a deep green accompanied by numerous windows that were covered by now closed blinds. She cautiously walked over to his desk that was decorated with various novelty items and tools she didn't recognize.

As Alex lifted her hand to run her fingers across one of the trinkets, a loud sound of pots and pans clattering to the floor caused her to jump and instantly retract her arm. She quickly turned back around to see Cisco standing next to an open cabinet with metal cookware scattered all about the floor; his previous confident facade now morphed into a look of helplessness.

"Are you  _sure_  you don't want my help?" Alex teased as she made her way back over to the pouting man. With a deep sigh, Cisco considered the offer.

"Maybe we should just order a pizza," he countered with a raised eyebrow. Alex giggled at the suggestion as she nodded her head in agreement.

"That works for me."

* * *

"So, this is your room, huh?" Alex asked as she tried to fight back her smile while looking around at all of Cisco's pop culture collectables.

"What? Are you judging me? Because it  _feels_  like you're judging me," Cisco playfully replied as he moved to stand in front of her, pizza box still in hand.

"Me? Judge you? Cisco, I would  _never_ ," Alex played along, no longer being able to resist the upturned curve of her lips. Cisco stared at the woman standing in front of him, his brows furrowing in determination before quickly laying the pizza on the foot of his bed.

Alex watched as he went over to one of his bookshelves and picked up a rectangular plastic box. Cisco brought the box over to her and placed it in her hands.

"That right there is an autographed wand from Draco Malfoy, himself; Mister Tom Felton. Now, if you don't think that's cool then  _this_ ," Cisco paused to point back and forth between himself and Alex, "is gonna take some work."

Alex silently rolled her eyes in response before examining the box closely.

"Ok, this is pretty cool," she agreed, looking up back with an adoring smile on her face as she handed him back the box. As she watched Cisco place the item back on the shelf, she couldn't help but be thankful that he seemed to be returning back to his lighthearted self.

"Since you brought it up, and the future of  _this_ ," Alex paused, mimicking Cisco's actions as she pointed back and forth between the two of them, "relies solely on  _Harry Potter_  apparently, now might be a good time to inform you I'm a huge fan. Maybe we should turn on one of the movies while digging into this pizza?" she suggested while picking up the box and bringing it with her as she sat on a small blue sofa across from the mounted TV.

Cisco watched as she grinned up at him and patted the empty seat next to her on the couch. He lifted the palms of his hands together in front of his chest and looked up to the ceiling, mumbling a "thank you," before quickly joining her on the sofa.

* * *

Halfway through the movie, Cisco leaned forward to place the now empty pizza box on the coffee table in front of them. As he sat back, he slowly rested his arm closest to Alex around her shoulders causing her to instinctively lean into his embrace.

"How's your arm?" Cisco whispered as his fingertips lightly trailed along her bicep. She slightly lifted her head to look up at him.

"It's great. Thank you," Alex whispered in return. The two locked eyes, slowly leaning in closer to one another. Cisco rasied his free hand to cup Alex's jawline as their lips met. They shared a slow, sensual kiss before breaking apart and returning to the movie.

The exhaustion of the day began to sink in for the two as they rested comfortable against one another. Alex felt her eyes growing heavier as she snuggled closely into Cisco's warm embrace.

* * *

_"Let me get this straight-" Alex watched from the corner of the room as Joe West and Cisco talked to a skinny man with dark hair and glasses._

_"There's an evil speedster named Savitar who is actually a time remnant of Barry Allen, and is seeking revenge by trying to murder Iris?"_

_"Harry, please. I'm asking you as one father to another," Joe pled. The man, Alex now knew as Harry, stood from his desk. Slowly, Alex inched closer to the three men so she could better hear their conversation._

_Harry patted Joe's shoulder and gave the officer a nod._

_"I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe, Joe. Ramon, fill me in on the details so we can prepare."_

_"Remember, it's imperative that Barry knows_ nothing _about this. Whatever Barry knows, Savitar knows."_

* * *

Alex awoke with a jump causing the sleeping Cisco underneath her to groan. The two had fallen asleep on the tiny sofa as the movie ended.

"Cisco!" Alex exclaimed as she gently shook his shoulder. He let out another groan in response before trying to roll over away from her. Alex shook his shoulder a bit harder.

"Cisco, I need you to wake up! I think I know how we can save Iris," she informed, raising her voice a bit louder hoping that would assist in waking him from his slumber.

Her words hit Cisco like a cup of ice water. He instantly jolted up from his slumped over position on the couch.

"What did you say?" he asked, his voice still groggy from sleep.

"I think I have an idea on how to save Iris."


	27. Chapter 27

"What-? What time is it?" Cisco groaned, rubbing a hand over his face as he leaned over to check his phone. The clock read 1:30AM. With another groan, he slumped back down into the couch and closed his eyes.

"I had a dream about saving Iris. Some guy named Harry, with dark messy hair and thick, black framed glasses," Alex explained, leaning in to prop herself up above Cisco who seemed to be trying to fall back asleep. Lazily, he lifted his hand and sloppily caressed Alex's face in response.

"Harry Potter can't help us, babe," Cisco mumbled, half asleep, as his hand slid down over her mouth before collapsing back onto the couch.

Narrowing her eyes in frustration, Alex grabbed Cisco's arm and hoisted him up into a sitting position.

"Cisco Roman, wake up right now and listen to me," she ordered. He answered by peeking his eyes open.

"I had a dream about you and Joe asking some man named Harry to help protect Iris," Alex repeated, "Joe asked him the favor as 'one father to another,' so this Harry guy has a child, I'm assuming...and he called you Ramon," she finished slowly as she struggled to recall the details. Cisco's eyes widened in realization.

"Harry," he reiterated quietly, "but how can Harry help save Iris?" Cisco closed his eyes once more and gently rubbed his fingers across his forehead in thought.

"You know him? Who is he?" Alex asked anxiously, hoping she had somehow just figured out the answer to all their problems.

"He's a friend of ours," Cisco simply replied with his eyes still shut. Alex could tell he was racking his brain trying to figure out how their friend could play a part in protecting Iris. After a few minutes of silence, Cisco's only answer was a huge yawn.

Alex's face softened as she lifted her hand to rest upon Cisco's shoulder. It was no wonder he was so exhausted. Not only were they drained from their encounter with Killer Frost, but also from pulling an all-nighter the previous evening due to exploring Alex's powers.

"Maybe you should go back to sleep," Alex whispered softly in concern. "I got a little too excited from the dream and wanted to tell you before I forgot the details. We can work on this in the morning, ok?" she suggested.

With a weak nod, Cisco slowly leaned his body into Alex's as his head found its way to her shoulder. She let out a small chuckle while lifting her hand to entangle her fingers in his hair. The soothing motion quickly lulled Cisco back to sleep, but Alex struggled to clear her thoughts. She desperately wanted to know more about the man in her dream, but it would just have to wait until morning.

She finally fell asleep several minutes later as she focused on Cisco's deep, rhythmic breathing.

* * *

The next morning, Cisco and Alex decided to invite Iris and Joe out for a coffee at Jitters.

"Hey guys," Iris greeted with a smile as she and her father took a seat across from their friends.

"What's going on? How come we couldn't let Barry know about this?" Joe worriedly asked, referring to the text Cisco had sent to them earlier that morning.

"Alex had a dream last night which gave us some ideas on how to protect Iris," Cisco began, "and she reminded me of something; whatever Barry knows, Savitar will know as well. So, if we're making a plan to save Iris, we need to keep him out of the loop."

Both Iris and Joe nodded in understanding.

"Ok, so what do ya got?" Joe asked, leaning forward to keep the conversation a bit more private in the public setting.

"It was a short dream," Alex informed, "but there was a man named Harry. It seemed like you two knew each other fairly well. He was willing to protect Iris but I wasn't able to get the details on how exactly," as she finished speaking, Cisco lifted his index finger to interject.

"Actually, I've been thinking about that all morning," he informed, a small, confident smile forming across his face as he looked out of the corner of his eye at Alex, "what if we hide Iris on Earth-2 with Harry? I mean, we just need her there for the time span Savitar plans on attacking, right? Plus, Jesse and Wally could be there for backup. So, what do you think?"

Iris and her father looked to one another before sharing a weak grin.

"At this point, we're running low on options," Iris commented, turning her focus to Alex, "in your dream, did it work?" Alex tightened her lips together before answering.

"I didn't see the outcome; only the arrangement," she regretfully replied. With a deep inhale, Iris nodded.

"We should consider it," Joe said with lowered eyes and a headnod as if he were convincing himself this plan was the best way to save his daughter. "Give us the day to think about it," he countered before standing up.

"Sure, sure," Cisco nodded as the rest of the group stood as well, "remember, though, don't tell Barry about any of this," he reminding firmly. Joe and Iris nodded once more.

"You got it. I'll see you two back at the lab later, ok?" Iris smiled as the four exchanged goodbyes.

"You ready to get out of here?" Cisco asked as he rested his hand across Alex's lower back.

* * *

_"I warned you not to interfere, Seer," Savitar growled. Protected by his metal suit, he held Alex high in the air by the collar of her sweater. Alex gasped in fear as she struggled to release herself from his grip. Desperately looking around for help, she saw they were surrounded by Barry, Killer Frost, and Cisco._

_"I only have a few minutes left. I can feel it," Savitar's metallic voice rang out, "but before I go, I'm going to kill everyone you love; starting with this one," Alex's breath stopped as she watched him lift his free arm, his hand moving so quickly it was just a blur to the naked eye._

_"No, don't!" Cisco screamed while lifting his hands to shoot a vibrational beam, but it was too late. Savitar's hand went directly into Alex's chest before dropping her lifeless body to the ground._


	28. Chapter 28

"You ready to get out of here?" Cisco asked, nodding his head toward the exit as he helped Alex out of her chair. His hand cupped her lower back as she stood, and he noticed as the all too familiar blank stare washed across her face.

Standing only inches apart, Cisco kept his hand around Alex's waist. He hoped her vision wouldn't last too much longer as they didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. To his surprise, only a moment later Alex let out a barely audible gasp before her knees gave out.

Cisco was quick to embrace her before she could collide with the floor. He gently placed her back into her chair before lifting his hand to her face.

"Alex," Cisco worriedly whispered as his index and middle fingers lightly tapped her cheek, but there was no response. "Alex, please," he begged before looking up and around to make sure no one was staring at them. Luckily, the crowd had dwindled down and the people remained were lost in their own concerns.

Cisco looked back to Alex who seemed to be still unconscious. Despite his better judgement, he moved into the seat beside her and took a deep breath before placing his hand across her forearm.

* * *

_"I warned you not to interfere, Seer," Savitar growled. Cisco's heart stopped when he saw Alex being held up by her sweater in Savitar's grasp a few feet above the ground. The look on her face was pure panic as she desperately searched for some sort of assistance._

_In the distance, Cisco could see himself dressed in his Vibe gear alongside Barry, who donned his iconic crimson suit, and Caitlin still in Killer Frost form._

_"I only have a few minutes left. I can feel it," Savitar's voice rang out, "but before I go, I'm going to kill everyone you love; starting with this one."_

_"No," Cisco quietly breathed out to himself as he watched Savitar lift his arm. His stomach began to turn as he recognized the blur of Savitar's vibrating hand. The scene in front of him then seemed to play out achingly in slow motion._

_"Why is no one doing anything?! Do something! Stop him!" Cisco furiously shouted as he ran over to the group of bystanders, but of course, their future selves heard nothing._

_"No, don't!" His voice echoed out with his future self's as Cisco watched Savitar ram his hand through Alex's chest before dropping her lifeless body to the ground._

* * *

Alex slowly awoke to find herself sitting back in a cushioned chair at Jitters. She groaned as she lifted her hands to cradle her aching head.

"What happened?" she mumbled to herself, running her fingertips across her forehead.

"You don't remember?"

The close proximity of Cisco's voice startled Alex causing her to jump. She lifted her gaze to find his face only inches away from hers. His concerned expression only made her feel more nauseous. She shook her head in response.

"The last thing I remember was talking with Iris and Joe," Alex weakly confessed. Cisco's brows furrowed in thought as his stare traveled up and down her face. In all honesty, the way he was examining her began to make her feel a bit uneasy.

"What? I'm telling the truth, Cisco," she said defensively, finding a bit more strength.

"No, no," Cisco quickly replied, "I believe you," his voice growing softer. The two continued to stare at one another in silence before Cisco spoke up once more.

"Come on, we should get you home. The walk might help you feel better," he suggested as he carefully took hold of her arm to assist her in standing. Alex, grateful for the helping hand, leaned into Cisco to support her still shaky knees.

The two slowly made their way back to Alex's apartment in silence.


	29. Chapter 29

"How are you feeling?" Cisco asked. The two had made it back to Alex's apartment and were sitting together on her livingroom couch. She shrugged a bit.

"I'm ok, I guess. I just don't understand what happened. One minute I felt fine; we were getting up to leave then all of a sudden there's a blank," she explained, looking down at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers. Cisco reached over and rested a hand across hers, interlacing their fingers together. Alex looked up to find him giving her a reassuring smile.

"Probably exhaustion from the past few days. It finally caught up to you," he replied, his voice sounding softer than normal. Alex nodded as she ran her thumb across the back of his.

"Yeah, that could be it," she laughed, feeling slightly embarrassed by the whole situation. The two sat there in silence as their fingers slowly caressed one another's. For some reason, something still felt a bit off to Alex but she couldn't figure out what.

Cisco had been unusually quiet on their walk back to Alex's. He seemed to have been lost in thought the whole way. He also held Alex closer and more securely than she thought necessary, but she didn't object to it.

"I'm feeling better. Would you like to head down to the lab?" Alex asked, wanting to distract herself from all the wandering thoughts. Cisco turned his body to face hers.

"Actually, I was thinking you should stay here and rest for awhile," he suggested. Alex quickly opened her mouth to protest, but Cisco continued before she could speak.

"Only for a few hours, Alex. You've done more than enough, and I promise you won't miss anything," he lightly chuckled. Alex pursed her lips together in thought. Although she was hesitant about not being at the lab with the rest of the team, she decided to agree.

"Fine," she sighed out in defeat. Cisco grinned at the faintest sign of a pout across her lips.

"Hey," he whispered as he reached forward to gently rest his free hand along the nape of her neck. Alex looked up at him, still wearing a slight look of displeasure while he inched closer.

"If you need anything,  _and I mean anything_ , call me or activate the app. Either way, I'll breach here in seconds, ok?" Cisco promised, his smile fading as his demeanor grew serious.

Alex nodded silently in reply while staring into his eyes. Letting his thumb trail lightly back and forth across her cheekbone, Cisco leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Alex lifted her hand to rest on his shoulder, her fingers intertwining in the ends of his long hair. The brush of his tongue against her lips deepened the kiss between the two before they slowly broke apart.

Cisco kept his forehead delicately pressed against Alex's, his hands still clinging to her, as their eyes opened and locked on one another.

"Get some rest," he mumbled with his lips still only inches from hers. Alex slightly nodded before casting her gaze downwards back to Cisco's mouth. Picking up on the hint, Cisco took her lips in another kiss. It only last for a few seconds before he reluctantly pulled away once more.

"When you're ready to leave later let me know. Don't go anywhere alone, ok?" Cisco asked, the desperate look on his face causing Alex a hint of concern. She gave him a reassuring smile as she lifted her hand to stroke his hair.

"I'll call you as soon as I get up," she agreed. Cisco didn't return the grin, but instead, leaned in to kiss her forehead as he tightly embraced her once more before standing.

As Alex walked him to the door, she got an overwhelming feeling again that something was off with Cisco. Against her better judgement, she decided to blame it on her exhaustion. With one last short kiss, Cisco was on his way to the lab.


	30. Chapter 30

Cisco made his way into Star Labs to find Iris and Joe patiently waiting on him. No words were exchanged as Joe made his way over to stand in front of Cisco.

"Do you honestly think this could work, Cisco? Keeping Iris on a different Earth?" Joe questioned as he rested his hand upon Cisco's shoulder. The detective's eyes, lined with bags from restless nights, were wide with concern. Cisco nodded as he patted Joe's hand comfortingly.

"It can work as long as everything goes according to plan, but we need to talk to Harry first," he explained. Joe removed his hand to look back at his daughter. Iris nodded before walking over to join the two men.

"Why don't you two go to Earth-2 and speak with Harry while I stay here and keep Barry from suspecting anything suspicious might be going on?" she suggested. Joe looked back to Cisco with raised eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

Cisco nodded, "Let's do this," he said before opening a breach to Earth-2.

* * *

"Ramon, for what do I owe the pleasure? I didn't expect you to need any more consultation-" Harry Wells stopped mid-sentence as he looked up from the work on his desk. "Detective West," he greeted, not bothering to hide the surprise in his voice.

"Harry, we need a favor," Cisco began.

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Harry started as he stood from his desk, "there's an evil speedster named Savitar who is actually a time remnant of Barry Allen, and is seeking some sort of sadistic revenge on Allen by trying to murder Iris?"

"Harry, please. I'm asking you as one father to another," Joe pled. Harry patted Joe's shoulder as he gave him a tight lipped grin.

"I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe, Joe. Ramon, fill me in on the rest of the details so we can begin preparing," Harry instructed as he walked back over to his desk to grab a few sheets of paper.

"Everyone needs to remember, it's imperative that Barry knows nothing about this. Whatever Barry knows, Savitar does as well," Cisco reminded. The two older gentlemen nodded in understanding.

"I should probably be getting back to our Earth before Barry starts suspecting something's up with Iris. I cannot thank you two enough," Joe sincerely said while walking over to shake Harry's hand. Cisco then opened a breach so the detective could return back to Earth-1.

* * *

"Ok, it's settled. I'll breach Iris here the day of Savitar's expected attack," Cisco informed before Harry continued the plan.

"Wally, Jesse, and I will be here waiting with everything we got," Harry finished as he looked around the room decorated with weapons of his own creation, brainstorming which one would be best suited to go against Savitar.

Cisco nodded, looking down in thought as he wandered back into Harry's office with Harry on his heels.

"C'mon, Ramon, out with it," Harry ordered, his gravelly voice growing softer. Cisco turned around to face Wells, a startled look upon his face due to the interruption of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Cisco asked absentmindedly. Harry sighed.

"Out with it. You've been distracted by something, I can't quite put my finger on, for the past hour," Harry noted. Cisco closed his eyes in thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose. With a deep inhale, he opened his eyes and stared at Wells with a look of conflict.

"I don't know what to do, Harry," Cisco confessed, "I met a girl who has been helping us with this whole Savitar situation, and," he paused as his lips formed a fond smile, "and I really like her. Her name is Alex, and she's a meta who can see the future; she's the one who had the idea to contact you, but earlier today she had a vision that I vibed. If Savitar can't kill Iris, I think he'll attack Alex instead."

Cisco's face fell as he thought back to the scene he witnessed from Alex's vision. He had told himself it would be best if Alex didn't remember the event, at least until he could come up with a plan to help keep her safe.

"If you're that worried about the girl then send her here with Ms. West," Harry suggested in a slightly condescending tone. Cisco rolled his eyes as he dropped his hands to his side in defeat.

"Don't you think I thought of that?" Cisco defensively replied, "Strategically, it's not a smart move to keep two targets together in the same location. You know that, Harry," he finished harshly.

"If Savitar is as dangerous as you've described then you don't have any other options, Ramon. There will be no safer place than right here."


	31. Chapter 31

"I think we've finally got everything situated," Cisco stated as he made his way back into his workshop.

Alex was sitting at his desk, mindlessly tinkering with some tools spread about the table before looking up at the sound of Cisco's voice. She had been in the lab for most of the past two days, and although she hated to admit it she was becoming slightly restless.

"Does that mean we can leave?" Alex asked hopefully, perking up a bit. Cisco's face remained solemn, his lips pursed together as he silently pulled up a chair to sit beside her. He then gently pulled her hand into his, his thumb tenderly caressing the back of her palm.

"I want you to go to Earth-2 with Iris," he whispered while keeping his gaze lowered on their joined hands. Alex furrowed her brows in concern as she slowly pulled her hand away.

"No, you can't do that. You can't just send me away," she objected, standing up from her spot at the desk. Cisco immediately followed.

"No one is sending you away, Alex," he tried to reason, but was quickly interrupted.

_"You are,"_  Alex retorted before pausing for a moment and softening her facial features, "I know you've been trying to keep me here because you're worried, but please don't send me away when there are things I can do to help." Her voice was calm as she pled her case.

Cisco closed his eyes and shook his head in thought as his mind ran rapid. Alex still had not remembered her vision of Savitar's attack, and Cisco wanted to keep it that way.

"You've done more than enough,  _for everyone_ , and now you got to let us do something for you. This isn't because we don't think you can help us because we know you can, Alex, it's simply a precaution I want to take. If you won't do it for yourself then do it for me." He spoke softly as he reached forward to take her hands into his once more, pulling her a step closer.

Alex looked up at Cisco with wide, saddened eyes as she momentarily considered his request. Her hands began to inch up his, past his wrists until they rested upon his forearms.

"Please don't do this, Cisco," she whispered, slightly tightening her hold in fear of being unwillingly sent to another Earth. Cisco lifted his right hand to cup Alex's face in his palm. Lightly, he traced his thumb across her cheekbone.

"We have to; it'll only be until the time paradox catches up with Savitar then you can come right back with Iris. I can't- _I won't_  let anything happen to you. You mean too much to me," Cisco confessed.

Slowly, he lifted his other hand to cradle along the side of Alex's neck as he filled the small gap between them. He then lowered his face and pressed his lips against hers in a desperate kiss. The hand resting upon Alex's cheek trailed down her neck before repositioning to rest on her hip. In return, Alex finally released her grip so she could rest her forearms across Cisco's shoulders, pulling herself deeper into his embrace.

Cisco kept his eyes closed as the two reluctantly broke their kiss, savoring the intimate moment between them before finally elevating his gaze.

"What if you need me and I'm not here?" Alex forced out, her voice cracking with emotion as she stared up into Cisco's deep brown eyes. He replied with a gentle, reassuring smile as he brushed her hair back behind her ear.

"Everything will be fine. I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done ;)


	32. Chapter 32

"Did you call your brother?" Cisco questioned, looking up from his desk in the cortex at Alex as she made her way over to him. She nodded in response.

"All set. Told him I was having a girls' night with some friends, and not to worry if he doesn't hear from me later," she replied, solemnly.

It had been Cisco's idea to inform her brother that Alex would be busy while she remained on Earth-2 with Iris and Harry. He didn't want Andrew to grow suspicious when his sister wasn't able to answer her phone for the next few hours.

Cisco stood from his chair as Alex leaned her backside against the desk and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I know you're still upset," he began softly. Alex lowered her gaze, letting out a deep breath.

"I just don't understand why I have to go, too, when I could be here to help you and Barry. It's not fair." As she spoke, Alex tried her best to keep the frustration out of her voice.

Cisco gave a small nod in understanding.

"I get it, Alex, but try to look at it from my perspective. Your powers, they're great and they've helped us so much the past few days, but if it comes down to facing off against Savitar they won't be able to protect you. Barry and I, we can use our powers to defend ourselves, but you-"

"I can see the future, Cisco!" Alex firmly agured, throwing her arms down to her sides in exasperation. Cisco paused, pursing his lips tightly together as he waited to see if there was anything else she wanted add.

"I know that," he replied, keeping his voice soft and steady, "but not at a consistent rate. It's just too dangerous." Alex huffed as she silently stared up at him. She knew he was right. She also knew she was acting a bit too stubbornly, but she had a terrible feeling something would go wrong while she was away.

Cisco took a step closer to where their bodies lightly pressed against one another. Alex felt as her hands were gently pulled into his, their fingers instinctively interlacing together.

"We both want the same thing; to keep each other safe," she whispered in a last attempt to change his mind. The faintest hint of a fond smile broke out upon Cisco's face.

"You're right," he agreed, "but Savitar didn't send Killer Frost out to kill me. And thanks to you, I know what to expect if I do run into her."

Alex sighed in defeat as she gave a short, silent nod.

Cisco continued to smile as he lifted one of his hands to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, his thumb caressing her jawline along with the motion. Alex closed her eyes to focus on the tender display of affection as she tilted her head into his touch. Slipping his hand back into her hair, Cisco delicately inched Alex's face closer to his so he could press his lips against hers.

Lost in their kiss, neither broke apart until they heard the deep sound of Detective West clearing his throat. The two quickly separated, Alex subconsciously wiping her bottom lip with her thumb and Cisco standing with a euphoric grin across his face.

* * *

Alex clung to Cisco's hand as they followed Joe and Iris through the breach. She looked around in awe as she examined the new room they were now standing in. It looked similar to one of the workrooms back at STAR Labs except this one was dimly lit by warm red and yellow lighting.

"And you must be Alex," a gravelly voice announced. Looking up, Alex immediately recognized the man from her dream.

"Yes, hi," she replied, forcing a friendly tone with a grin as she stuck her free hand out to him. The tall man with glasses stared at her extended hand for a few moments before looking to Cisco and looking back to Alex.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't the slightest inclination of wanting to know any future events surrounding my life, thank you," he bluntly replied causing Alex to raise her eyebrows in surprise.

"Haha," Cisco faked laughed as he let go of Alex's grip so he could place both his hands on top of her extended arm to lower it back to her side. "Good ole Harry, always so  _on point_  with his manners," he finished, speaking through gritted teeth and not bothering to hide his annoyance.

As Cisco and Harry exchanged a greeting, which sounded more like friendly bickering, Alex looked to the opposite side of the room where Iris and Joe exchanged hugs with a younger boy in a yellow version of Barry's Flash suit.

"Cisco," Alex whispered, placing her hand lightly on his elbow and standing a bit taller so she could speak directly into his ear. He stopped mid-sentence with Harry to turn to her. "Who is that?" she questioned.

"Oh, that's right, you haven't met Wally or Jesse yet. The guy over there is Wally, Iris's younger brother, and Jesse-"

"Jesse is my daughter," Harry declared, "who unfortunately, like Barry and Wally, is a speedster. They will be here for extra protection along with myself and Detective West."

"Come on, I'll introduce you," Cisco offered with a slight headnod in the direction of the West Family.


End file.
